Pasona Group, a Tokyo-based staffing firm, reported revenue fell 3.3 percent in the first six months of its fiscal year to 88.99 billion yen (US$1.06 billion) compared with the same period in the previous fiscal year.

The first six months of Pasona's fiscal year ended Nov. 30, 2010, while its fiscal year ends May 31, 2011.

Gross margin narrowed to 18.2 percent in the six months ended Nov. 30 compared to 19.2 percent in the first six months of the previous year.

Pasona reported a net loss of 549.0 million yen (US$6.5 million) compared to a net loss of 1.7 million yen in the first half of the previous fiscal year.

The company expects revenue of 186.00 billion yen for its full fiscal year ended May 31, 2011, an increase of 1.4 percent from the previous year.

Pasona ranked No. 12 on Staffing Industry Analysts' 2010 list of largest global staffing firms.