Permanent billings remain subdued
The latest information from Recruitment Industry Benchmarking’s RIB Index shows that in Q1 2019, perm billings for the median RIB recruiter were 1.5% higher than in the same period last year.
This followed a calendar year (2018) in which perm billings remained subdued – an average, across the year, of 1.3% higher than in 2017.
Set into historical context, perm billings across 2017 were an average of 4.6% higher than in the prior year. The median RIB recruiter fared less well across 2016, however – the year of the EU referendum – when perm billings were an average of 1.2% lower than in 2015.
Of additional note, the average permanent placement fee in Q1 2019 was notably lower than in Q1 2018. As such, the median RIB recruiter had to work increasingly hard to maintain its permanent billing levels.
Belinda Johnson runs employment research consultancy, Worklab, and is Associate Knowledge & Insight Director of Recruitment Industry Benchmarking (RIB). The RIB Index provides bespoke confidential reports on industry benchmarks and trends. See www.ribindex.com; [email protected]: 020 8544 9807. The RIB is a strategic partner of the REC.
