(Reuters) - British recruiter PageGroup (L:PAGE) said it would pay a special dividend of 40 million pounds on Thursday, as growth in most of its international markets and operational improvements helped drive a 20.9 percent rise in first-half profit.
The company, which mainly finds candidates to fill permanent positions, said operating profit rose to 56.9 million pounds ($73.8 million) in the six months ended June 30, up from 47.1 million pounds a year ago. At constant currency, it was up 9.2 percent.
Along with the special dividend of 12.73 pence per share, the company also announced an interim dividend of 3.90 pence, up 4 percent on a year ago.