Recruitment firms warn Brexit and China trade war will hit profits

PageGroup and Robert Walters also point to uncertainty created by Hong Kong protests

Two of Britain's biggest recruitment companies have warned that uncertainty created by Brexit, protests in Hong Kong and the US-China trade dispute will hit their profits this year.

PageGroup, the UK's second-largest recruiter, said rising fears about Brexit had made companies less willing to hire workers and potential candidates wary about moving jobs. It said uncertainty had affected the market for jobs at all levels.