Index shows increase in demand for accountants in City of London

Demand for accountants in the City of London increased in August, with the number of accountancy roles up by 34 per cent, figures from Robert Walters have shown.

The recruitment company’s City Job Index also showed an increase in demand for temporary staff last month, with the number of temporary accountancy roles up by 22 per cent.

Strong

The average percentage of available jobs in the City stood at 31 per cent in August - a rise of 3 per cent compared with the previous month.

According to Robert Walters, demand for accounting professionals and professionals who specialise in regulatory reporting is strong, with companies favouring finance professionals that are newly qualified or those that have one to two years of post-qualified experience.

In addition to London, there has also been an increase in demand for finance professionals in the Midlands. Robert Walters’ latest Birmingham Jobs Index found financial vacancies saw the highest increase. Available jobs in August were up by 19 per cent compared with the same period last year.

The increase in demand has been driven by start-up businesses in Birmingham, with the tech sector seeing the strongest growth.

Robust

Commenting on Robert Walters’ City Job Index, Chief Executive Chris Hickey said: “City firms are continuing to show a robust attitude towards recruitment, despite concerns that uncertainty surrounding Britain’s departure from the EU would slow down hiring activity.”

He added: “Since the result of the referendum, rather than a decline in hiring we have seen a shift in recruitment strategies. In certain roles, City employers are favouring contract professionals, ensuring that they have an agile workforce which can adapt to changing circumstances as Britain’s negotiations with Europe develop.”