* Q2 gross profit down 6.5%

* Full-year operating profit in line with consensus

July 12 (Reuters) - PageGroup said on Wednesday candidates were more reluctant to change jobs as tough market conditions in Asia, the United Kingdom and the United States hit confidence and sapped the recruitment company's quarterly profits.

"The challenging conditions we saw towards the end of 2022 and in Q1 2023 continued into Q2, with lower levels of both candidate and client confidence resulting in delays in decision-making and candidates being more reluctant to accept offers," PageGroup CEO Nicholas Kirk said in a statement.

Recruiters, including Robert Walters, have flagged low confidence and a weaker market as an uncertain macroeconomic outlook led some employers to freeze hiring and turn to temporary workers.

Page's Kirk said the level of uncertainty was high in the majority of its markets, but that the group still thought it could perform well.

Shares in the London-listed firm were up 0.6% in early trade.

In Britain, the unemployment rate unexpectedly rose in the three months to April and the number of people out of work increased by the most since late 2020, while wage growth rose at the joint fastest pace on record, figures this week from the Office for National Statistics showed.

PageGroup expects 2023 operating profit to be in line with market expectations of 137.6 million pounds ($178.15 million). It reported operating profit of 196.1 million pounds in 2022.

The British company, which operates in 37 countries, saw growth in Europe, Middle East and Africa, but declines in gross profit across most other markets, including China. It also cut its own headcount by 3.8% in the quarter.

It reported gross profit of 263.5 million pound for the three months to June, down 6.5% from a year earlier.

"Whilst macro sentiment remains febrile, we nevertheless see favourable risk-reward at PAGE in the context of the broader sector," analysts at RBC said in a note.

($1 = 0.7719 pounds) (Reporting by Anchal Rana and Yadarisa Shabong in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Barbara Lewis)