Robert Walters reports strong UK growth following Brexit vote

Oct (HKSE: 3366-OL.HK - news) 17 (Reuters) - Professional recruitment firm Robert Walters Plc said third-quarter UK profit rose on growth in trade finance and in some regions outside London, indicating pockets of strength following the country's vote to leave the European Union.

The UK-listed company, which places workers in engineering, legal, marketing and banking jobs, said UK gross profit grew 9 percent to 23.4 million pounds ($29.1 million) in the quarter ended Sept. 30. It had reported comparable growth of 4 percent for the first six months of 2016.

The company has seen a pick-up in activity levels in financial services towards the end of the quarter, it said in a statement on Monday.

This contrasts with a statement from larger rival PageGroup Plc, which said last week that confidence among employers in Britain was "fragile" following Brexit, with multinational firms holding off from hiring, particularly in the financial services sector.

($1 = 0.8042 pounds) (Reporting by Esha Vaish in Bengaluru, editing by Louise Heavens)