"We planned for a weaker Europe for the remainder of the year and take measures accordingly," CFO Henry Schirmer said in an interview. "We are re-aligning the cost-base with the top line."

The comments came as Randstad released second quarter results, which were hurt by falling sales in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, where it has major automotive clients.

(Reporting by Anthony Deutsch; Editing by Richard Borsuk)