UPDATE 2-Robert Walters H1 net fees rise 45 pct; shares up

* H1 net fees 72.3 mln stg vs 50 mln stg

* Asia business strong, but Europe pressured by uncertainty

* UK business supported by financial services sector

* Shares climb 11.5 pct to two-month high

(Adds quotes from COO, updates shares)

LONDON, July 7 (Reuters) - White collar recruiter Robert Walters (RWA.L) said net fees in the first half of 2010 rose 45 percent, boosted by a strong performance in Asia while trade in Europe was down compared to the same period last year.

The company, which has operations in Europe, Asia-Pacific, the United States and South Africa, said increased demand for jobs in the financial services sector also helped boost net fee income by 36 percent in Britain in the second quarter.

Concerns about the health of the British economy and its impact on employment still meant that there was some uncertainty about market conditions in Britain.

"Our investment in (Asia) and commitment to it is coming through. With regards to second half of the year, it's difficult to predict what's going to happen," Chief Operating Officer Giles Daubeney told Reuters.

UK job growth fell for a third month running in June, according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, with British recruiters fearing a sharper slowdown when public spending cuts take effect. [ID:nLDE6651D7]

But Daubeney said that given Robert Walters' small exposure to the public sector -- most of its business is generated by private-sector white collar jobs -- a downturn in public sector employment was unlikely to impact the group.

A shortage of high-quality professionals in accounting, IT and law would support demand for high quality permanent staff across regions and the company was looking to expand further in Asia, possibly in Vietnam, Indonesia and South Korea.

Shares in Robert Walters rose 11.5 percent to a two-month high of 217 pence by 0752 GMT. (Reporting by Golnar Motevalli; Editing by Paul Sandle and Michael Shields)