AGM trading update

RTC Group PLC

27 May 2026

 

27 May 2026

Certain information contained within this Announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 ("MAR") as applied in the United Kingdom. Upon publication of this Announcement, this information is now considered to be in the public domain.

RTC Group Plc

("RTC", "the Company" or "the Group")

AGM trading update

RTC Group Plc will hold its Annual General Meeting at 12 noon today.  At the meeting, A M Pendlebury, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive, will make the following statement:

"In March I was delighted and very proud, to report another year of record profit after tax, positive cash generation and balance sheet growth in 2025 resulting in another 10% increase in dividend for our shareholders. This was achieved despite a significantly challenging year for the UK economy and particularly the recruitment sector.

In the first quarter of 2026 the Company continued its trajectory of positive trading and cash generation and announced six major contract wins across the Group, including significant extensions of long-standing agreements with key clients, supporting a strong and growing long-term order book. In addition, demand for our core maintenance activities in Rail remains positive and in line with 2025 levels, although there is inevitably an impact on margins from rising costs. However, there is potential for activity to increase as CP7 Rail enhanced funding is released. Demand across other infrastructure markets, including water and environmental services, also continues at similar levels.

Our conferencing business, despite significantly increased government-imposed costs, is performing ahead of prior year levels, supported by strong customer demand, and we remain optimistic about further opportunities in international markets.

However, as we navigate Q2 of 2026, geopolitical tensions, driven by the impact of the Iran conflict on global energy markets, have led to significantly increased fuel costs, materially raising fleet expenses, and this is, and will continue to, unavoidably impact margins within our Rail and Energy divisions. In addition, because of elevated energy prices, client activity, particularly in relation to our smaller manufacturing client base, where higher costs have led to site closures or reduced production, has materially lowered demand for temporary labour. This uncertainty is contributing to more cautious hiring behaviour among clients, with some delaying, scaling back or, in certain cases, cancelling recruitment plans.

In addition, the permanent recruitment market continues to be challenging, with vacancy levels now at their lowest point since 2021 following a sustained multi-year decline (ONS, Jobs and Vacancies in the UK: May 2026). Demand continues to be constrained by rising employment costs, including above inflation increases in the National Living Wage, alongside ongoing employer caution regarding the Employment Rights Act. This is compounded by the growing reluctance of workers to seek career moves as the resignation rate has fallen to its lowest level since covid (workers cling to jobs as fears put brakes on resignation: Telegraph May 2026).

Within our Energy division, demand is transitioning as the smart metering market moves beyond the initial rollout phase. Following the extension of targets to 2028, demand for new installations has softened in the short-term, reflected across the industry through workforce reductions. Clients are increasingly focused on meter health activities, including SMETS1 to SMETS2 upgrades, communications hub replacements, and smart mode compliance. This has led to a short-term reduction in demand, which we anticipate will increase in the medium-term as these programmes scale.

Whilst Rail operations have slowly improved since the commencement of the current contract, they are not yet where they were anticipated to be at the outset of CP7. This is consistent with the wider industry experience particularly relating to Rail enhancement projects.

While we recognise these challenges which are affecting the sector as a whole, due to excellent cash generation in 2025, the Group has a very solid foundation upon which to navigate them. Notably, it retains a clean balance sheet with no term debt and continues to build on this foundation through the generation of strong operating cash flows and disciplined cost management aligned to activity levels.

The Company's interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2026 will be published on or around 27 July 2026."

Enquiries:

RTC Group Plc	Tel: [phone]
Andy Pendlebury, Chairman and Chief Executive www.rtcgroupplc.co.uk	Contact Us - RTC Group Plc
SPARK Advisory Partners Limited (Nominated Adviser) Matt Davis / James Keeshan www.Sparkadvisorypartners.com	Tel: [phone]
Zeus (Broker)         Mike Coe / James Bavister (Investment Banking) Nick Searle (Sales) www.zeuscapital.co.uk	Tel:  [phone]

About RTC

RTC Group Plc is an AIM listed recruitment business that focuses on white and blue-collar recruitment, providing temporary and permanent labour to a broad range of industries and customers in both domestic and international markets through its geographically defined operating divisions.

UK division

Through its Ganymede and ATA brands the Group provides a wide range of recruitment services to the following sectors in the UK:

•                        Rail

•                        Energy and utilities

•                        Manufacturing and engineering

•                        Water and environment

•                        Transportation

•                        Highways

•                        Construction

Ganymede specialise in recruiting the best technical and engineering talent and providing complete workforce solutions to help build and maintain infrastructure and transportation for a wide range of UK and international clients. Ganymede is a market leader in providing a diverse range of people solutions to the rail, energy, construction, highways and transportation sectors. With offices strategically located across the country, Ganymede provides its clients with the benefit of a national network of skilled personnel combined with local expertise.

ATA Recruitment provide high-quality technical recruitment solutions to the manufacturing, engineering and technology sectors. Working as an engineering recruitment partner supporting businesses across the UK and Europe, ATA Recruitment has a strong track record of attracting and recruiting the best engineering talent for our clients. ATA's regional offices which are strategically located in Leicester and Leeds each have dedicated market-experts to ensure ATA delivers excellence to both our clients and candidates.

International division

Through its GSS brand the Group works with customers across the globe that are focused on delivering projects in a variety of engineering sectors. GSS has a track record of delivery in some of the world's most hostile locations. Working closely with its customers GSS provides contract and permanent staffing solutions on an international basis, providing key personnel into new projects and supporting ongoing large-scale project staffing needs. GSS typically recruit across a range of disciplines and skills from operators and supervisors, through to senior management level.

The Group headquarters are located at the Derby Conference Centre which also provides office accommodation for its operating divisions in addition to generating rental and conferencing income from space not utilised by the Group.

 

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