Recruitment firms are the fastest growing companies
Dataworkforce, which recruits telecoms engineers, was the fastest growing firm of any kind. The highest placed financial services recruiter on the list, and in fifth place overall, is Professional Recruitment Organisation, whose Finance Professionals arm hires staff for financial services companies.
The Sunday Times list measured sales between 1997 and 2000. Professional Recruitment Organisation's sales over that period rose by 183% a year, from 368,000 to 8.3m.
The list takes no account of 2001, when revenues of most recruitment firms have fallen.
But Paul Lipscombe, marketing manager at Professional Recruitment Organisation, said the firm's sales this year were likely to rise another 30-40%. While the investment banking market was in trouble, recruitment by commercial and industrial firms was buoyant.
"Our contract staff revenues are probably up 100% this year," he said. The firm handles sales, audit and legal positions as well as financial services.
Lipscombe attributed the company's growth to a personalised, individual approach towards candidates.
Another financial services recruiter on the list is Antal International, in 92nd place. GoJobsite, a multi-sector site, is 16th and ECI Human Capital, which specialises in IT, is 20th. Of the 100 firms on the list, 10 are recruitment companies.
