People about to embark on the financial sector recruitment process have received a boost to their prospects from figures that reveal that job opportunities in equities have surged by more than 41 per cent during the three months to the end of January.

The numbers were collated as part of the online recruitment jobsite eFinancialCareers UK Quarterly Barometer, which also showed that demand for people with experience in private equity and venture capital has risen by nearly 40 per cent, when compared to the previous three months.

The figures were determined by the numbers of jobs advertised during the quarters. Also showing significant demand was recruitment for staff working in debt/fixed income, which rose by 30 per cent, and consultancy, which was up by 29 per cent.

The managing director of eFinancialCareers.com for Europe, Africa and Asia, James Bennett, said that they had already perceived positive trends coming from the end of 2010 before these figures confirmed them.

“The November-December signals were already looking positive as the seasonal slowdown normally experienced in the sector was significantly less pronounced this year; and then in January we saw a strong rise,” he said. “This has been driven by a combination of those firms that are rapidly re-building teams as revenue levels grow, and those that are still re-structuring.”

He said that there were also more back-office positions being created due to the demands coming from increased regulatory requirements.

Geoff Newman, chief executive of online recruiter Recruitment Genius feels the banking sector is recovering. “We’ve noticed strong demand, particularly from America banks for finance professionals. The banks seem to have finished consolidating their operations and are now looking ahead to a potentially good year.”

Become a Recruitment Genius

As featured in