Staffing agency Randstad booked a loss of €97m in the fourth quarter of last year following a goodwill write-off of almost €140m.

Over 2012 as a whole, Randstad booked profit of €36.5m, down 79% on 2011. Revenues rose 5% to €17bn following growth in Latin America and Asia, particularly Japan.

‘It has not been an easy year,’ chief executive Ben Noteboom said in a statement. He described 2012 as challenging with a ‘solid final quarter’.

Randstad has been hit by Europe’s economic woes. Turnover fell 8% in France over the year, 8% in Britain and 3% in the Netherlands.

The company, one of the biggest staffing agencies in the world, did not make a forecast for 2013.