Why now is a good time to grab finance jobs in London

Following the collapse of the Lehman Brothers in 2008 and the earlier Northern Rock crisis, the financial services industry in the UK - and indeed across most of the world - has experienced some dark days.

For everyone from graduates to experienced professionals looking to take on new finance jobs in London in the last few years, opportunities may have seemed few and far between, but at last the situation appears to be on the turn.

Indeed, in the last few weeks alone, three major finance firms have announced their intentions to create new jobs in the UK, meaning that whether Britons are looking for a job in banking, finance, risk, technology or consultancy, now could be the time to act.

Earlier this week, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) announced its intention to create hundreds of new jobs, along with taking on more graduates.

Ian Powell, PwC UK chairman and senior partner, revealed: "We are under no illusion that there remain challenges ahead.  However, in the next 12 months we intend to create 800 new jobs across our businesses to enhance the services and value we offer to our clients."

He made the announcement after it was reported that the professional services firm had recorded a four per cent rise in turnover for the year to June, increasing from £2,248 million to £2,331 million.

In addition, underlying net revenue also demonstrated four per cent growth, taking it to £2,069 million.

Mr Powell acknowledged that it had been a tough year but that PwC had continued to invest in the future of its business throughout.

"These investments included the recruitment in the UK of 1,750 people, 57 new partners [and] a strategic alliance with our Middle East network firms."

It could be said that such comments are reflective of much of the financial services industry at the moment, as it looks to the forthcoming years and the opportunities the economic recovery will bring for growth.

And in order to be ready, many banking groups might now be putting the recession behind them and looking to revamp their recruitment drives in order to hire more people to finance jobs in London.

Preparing for the future now by expanding the workforce may also be important as, in addition to attracting business, remaining competitive and building trust levels with customers, the financial services industry is currently undergoing a significant amount of change.

Indeed, the chancellor has already announced plans to replace the current three-tier regulatory system made up of the Treasury, Bank of England and Financial Services Authority, while the Legal Services Act and the Capital Adequacy Directive are also looming on the horizon.

With all this to prepare for, it may come as little surprise that many firms are keen to expand their workforces.

Scottish first minister Alex Salmond announced this week that Barclays is set to create up to 600 new jobs in Glasgow.

Meanwhile, a source from Spanish banking group Santander told City Wire that it hopes to create 600 jobs, in addition to its traditional recruitment drive to replace workers who have left or those who need cover.

While the 600 positions it is planning are far below the number the Financial Times earlier suggested would be created, it still demonstrates that there are plenty of finance jobs in the UK at the moment.

With this in mind, Britons who want to be part of the industry could find that they are either embarking on or furthering their dream career in the very near future.

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