Figures from the Robert Walters UK Jobs Index, which charts vacancy numbers posted to online platforms, have revealed a nationwide increase in demand for compliance professionals, but the greatest increase in demand was seen in the Northwest, at 35% for the first quarter year-on-year.
London saw a rise of 18% while the number of marketing jobs advertised in the Midlands increased by 17% over the same period.
Tomas Strelczak, Manager - Compliance, Robert Walters comments:
“Employers in both financial services and commerce and industry have actively pursued compliance professionals this quarter, continuing a trend that began last year. In 2015, demand for compliance professionals has remained high and employers have shown changes in their attitude in response to the acute skills shortage.
“While demand last year focused largely on candidates with a direct background in compliance employers have become more amenable to hiring professionals from related disciplines, such as legal or audit, in order to fill vacancies. As a consequence, many compliance professionals are struggling to negotiate fees as high as those they enjoyed in 2014, though some employers do still favour compliance specialists and are willing to pay for them.
“Within compliance, areas which have seen particularly high demand include product advisory, financial crime, monitoring & assurance and regulatory change. For candidates without banking experience, positions covering financial crime and monitoring/assurance are often suitable entry points into the compliance sector.“
