Hiring in Brisbane looks surprisingly healthy

The employment market in Brisbane is rebounding from the natural diasters which have hit Queensland recently. In the financial services sector, several job functions are in need of candidates.

"Despite the flooding, it was a busy Q1 in Brisbane and already institutions are putting budgets in place - whether it's superannuation, wealth management or insurance," says Samantha Campbell, manager, finance and banking, Robert Walters.

She says wealth managers, and financial planners with at least one to two years' experience are particularly sought after.

There is also a small spike in demand for stockbrokers. "Ideally they want candidates with two to four years' experience and who are writing revenues in excess of $400k," adds Campbell.

Broking houses such as UBS, Wilson HTM, and Bell Potter are in the market for recruits, says another recruiter, who asked not to be named.

Statutory reporting vacancies, such as compliance, risk and internal audit, are increasing in Brisbane as are insurance jobs in the wake of the floods.

"We're also seeing more turnover in tax roles. While tax isn't hot at the moment, it will be in the future," says Robert Lyster, associate director, Michael Page.

There are early signs that locally-based business analysts and strategists are becoming more in demand, he adds. "A lot of the bigger banks have these positions down south, while we will start to see more of these positions for finance professionals in Brisbane."

Lyster says more banking candidates are moving to Brisbane from other parts of the country. "Five years ago banks were focussed on local candidates, but as we're seeing the workforce become more mobile, they're looking interstate."