Hays hikes dividend after strong net fee growth in Britain

LONDON (Reuters) - British recruiting firm Hays raised its dividend after it posted a 10 percent rise in underlying net fees on strong growth in Britain and Australia.

The company, which places workers in areas such as finance, construction and information technology, said it had raised its dividend by 5 percent to 87 pence after its net fees rose to 383.9 million pounds ($595.20 million) in the first half of its financial year ending Dec. 31.

($1 = 0.6450 pounds)

(Reporting by Li-mei Hoang, editing by Louise Heavens)