Shares in Michael Page International were down on the FTSE 250 in afternoon trading ahead of the recruitment firm's half year results, due out on Monday morning.

Earlier this year the company reported a rise in Q2 profits of 33 per cent, with each of the group's regions reporting a profit in the period.

The rise in profit was attributed to increasing confidence leading to more permanent recruitment activity and higher rates of job churn.

Keith Bowman, analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said, "Market consensus opinion currently denotes a buy rating. The group is perceived to be well positioned and has significant roll out potential across regions and professions.

"Professional placements are growing faster than generalist staffing through the cycle and permanent positions appear to be recovering more quickly than expected from last year's cyclical trough."

By 13:55 shares in Michael Page International were down 1.14 per cent on the FTSE 250 to 372.70 pence per share.

FTSE