The number of confirmed job offers within the financial services sector has fallen for a second consecutive month, according to research from City pre-employment screening firm Powerchex.

The research shows that job offers made within the sector fell by a further 4% last month, after a fall of 10% in August. The decline was evident in all industry sectors except investment banks and asset management firms, up 29% and 16% respectively. Insurance firms made 10% fewer job offers in last month marking the first time this year that the number of jobs declined.

Alexandra Kelly, director at Powerchex, says: “I anticipate that the number of job opportunities within financial services will continue to decline as we move into Q4. In fact, my ‘optimistic’ scenario is for the number of employment opportunities to remain the same into 2011. Business confidence is plummeting because of the uncertainty caused by public sector cuts, and this is making many firms understandably nervous.”