Banking and financial services job vacancies in the City have reached their highest levels since 2007, according to the global financial recruitment specialist Ambition. 

The data reveals that the number of City vacancies is now 260% above Q1 2009’s nadir. There was a slight decrease in the number of vacancies between Q2 and Q3 as businesses slowed activity over the summer months, but overall the number of roles available remain higher than any point since 2007.

Tim Gilbert, UK managing director of Ambition, says: “We predicted in early 2010 that there would be rapid growth in the City and this forecast has played out. Significant increases in demand for staff off the back of the equities markets helped fuel the early growth. But increased activity in the fixed income market has boosted many companies’ appetite to hire in recent months.

“The number of vacancies is not matched by the number of skilled candidates available to fill them, and the City is currently suffering from a skilled candidate shortage. There are currently 11 vacancies for every 10 candidates actively searching for work in the City. This has risen from three vacancies per 10 candidates at the bottom of the economic downturn in the first quarter of 2009.”