Car insurance group Admiral appears to be prospering despite the difficult financial conditions in the UK.

In March the company revealed that it achieved record turnover of over £1 billion in 2009 and has now announced its customer base has exceeded the two million mark.

Furthermore, despite the fact that unemployment figures are currently at their highest since 1994, Admiral has already recruited 490 workers this year and plans to take on a further 261 by the end of June. The extra 751 staff will boost its employment tally by 11% during the first half of the year alone.

The Admiral Group comprises a number of well-known insurance brands including elephant.co.uk, Diamond and Confused.com as well as the Admiral brand. It is Wales’ only FTSE100 company with offices in Cardiff, Swansea and Newport.

Admiral people services manager, Ceri Assiratti, said: “Wales has been hit particularly badly in this recession and unemployment in the principality stands at 9%; a 15-year high. So we’re delighted to be bucking the trend and are able to take on so many new members of staff in a difficult time.

“We are lucky to be in the business we are; car insurance is a compulsory purchase so is not badly affected by recession.”