Specialist recruitment company Gattaca has reported an 85% increase in underlying pre-tax profit as demand for contract workers strengthened across infrastructure, defence, energy and engineering-related markets.
The group generated £6.1m in underlying pre-tax profit for the financial year ended 31 July 2026, compared with £3.3m in the previous year. Revenue increased 11% to £443.3m, while reported pre-tax profit more than doubled from £2.6m to £5.7m.
Net fee income, the group’s principal measure of revenue after deducting contractor payroll costs, rose 11% to £43.2m. On a like-for-like basis, excluding relevant acquisition and disposal effects, net fee income increased 7%.
Contract recruitment provided the strongest contribution. Net fee income from contract placements increased 16%, supported by demand in the group’s core markets and a larger contractor base. Permanent recruitment also improved, with net fee income rising 4% despite difficult conditions across some parts of the employment market.
The balance between contract and permanent work is important to Gattaca’s business model. Contract assignments generate income over the duration of placements, while permanent recruitment normally produces a fee when an appointment is made. The two activities respond differently to employers’ staffing requirements and investment decisions.
Gattaca’s contract business accounted for 78% of group net fee income during the year, compared with 75% in 2025. Permanent recruitment contributed 19%, with the remaining 3% generated through its statement-of-work projects business.
The statement-of-work operation experienced a considerably weaker year. Net fee income declined 44% as some major client programmes were delayed or cancelled, particularly in defence. The company has responded by diversifying project activity into civil nuclear, aerospace, oil and gas, and other engineering markets.
Across its specialist recruitment sectors, defence net fee income increased 17%, while energy improved 4%. Nuclear construction, data centres and electricity transmission and distribution contributed to energy-related demand, reflecting continuing investment in large technical infrastructure projects.
The mobility business recorded 9% net fee income growth, helped by aerospace activity. Infrastructure recruitment benefited from stronger demand in water and highways, although rail remained challenging.
Gattaca has also consolidated its recruitment operations under the Matchtech brand, bringing together specialist services through a single commercial identity. The change is intended to improve coordination between recruitment teams and make the company’s broader capabilities more accessible to clients.
The results follow a period in which employers across technical industries have faced uneven recruitment conditions. Large engineering programmes can create demand for specialist contractors over several years, but project delays and changes to capital expenditure can quickly affect the volume of work available.
Gattaca’s operating performance improved alongside the increase in net fee income. Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation rose 94% to £7m, supported by the stronger contract business and continued cost and productivity measures.
Net cash at the financial year end was £15.4m, compared with £15.7m twelve months earlier. The company increased its ordinary dividend to 6p per share, double the 3p distributed for the previous year.
Chief executive Matthew Wragg has identified continuing opportunities in infrastructure, energy and defence, supported by existing client relationships and a pipeline of potential contracts. Management expects further growth in underlying pre-tax profit during the 2027 financial year, in line with current market expectations of approximately £6.5m.
The outlook remains dependent on the timing of customer projects and the demand for specialist workers. Gattaca’s latest results show that its contract recruitment business has been able to grow despite weaker project-based assignments and continuing uncertainty in permanent hiring markets.
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