Recruitment firm CPL Resources expects pretax profit to be "strong" in the first half of the company's financial year, helped by better than expected growth in Irish employment and rising demand for financial services staff.

Profit and net fee income are likely to exceed analysts' estimates for the six-month period, which ends on December 31st, according to chief executive Anne Heraty. Davy, CPL's broker, expects the company to post pretax profits of €6 million for the full year.

"There was good growth in employment in the economy in the last quarter and the quarter before," Ms Heraty said in an interview. "We've had growth in all sectors."

Employment in Ireland was growing by 5 per cent year on year between June and August, the Quarterly National Household Survey showed.

The unemployment rate during that period was holding steady at 4.3 per cent, the survey found.

Demand for staff is highest at CPL's financial services recruitment business, Ms Heraty said. The company's information technology and medical sectors are also doing well, the chief executive said.

Overall, recruitment demand is so high that CPL is looking to eastern Europe and northern Europe to fill some vacancies, she said.

CPL, which describes itself as Ireland's biggest recruiter of temporary and contract staff, places about 20,000 job candidates a year.

Its earnings per-share for the year to June 30th more than doubled to 13 cent, aided by a 42 per cent increase in sales.

The company was named in October as third among Europe's hottest-growing companies this year by Business Week and the Brussels-based organisation, Europe's Entrepreneurs for Growth.

CPL, founded 16 years ago, strengthened its presence in the contract nurse recruitment market by acquiring Medical Personnel Ltd last year.