Financial services folk say they are caring people
May Day protesters, who are planning anti-capitalist demonstrations in the City of London today, may be surprised to learn that almost a quarter of financial services professionals say they have refused to apply for certain jobs on ethical grounds. Just 9% say ethical considerations play no part in their job searches, according to the survey by the recruitment company Citipeople.
More than 930 finance professionals in London, New York and Sydney were questioned on whether they would apply for jobs in companies involved in activities including animal exploitation, environmental pollution, and the alcohol, tobacco and arms industries.
Results suggest that Americans have fewer qualms than Britons about the arms industry (46% of those polled in New York expressed concern about association with arms, compared to 70% in London and 60% in Sydney).
But Americans are more uncomfortable about alcohol. Only a third of Americans said they would work in a company involved with the alcohol trade, compared with two thirds of Britons and 80% of Australians.
A spokesperson for Citipeople admitted that the poll results were probably a better indication of perception than reality. "This is what they say, whether they would actually do it, if it came down to economic reality, is another question," the spokesman said. "But it does show that people are concerned."
There is evidence, however, that financial services folk are less encumbered by their social consciences than most - at least in their youth.
A recent survey of the career goals of 5,700 students across 43 UK unversities found that "contributing to society" was a significant goal for less than 9% of students seeking a career in investment banking, compared to 26% of the student population as a whole.
