Around The World: The upside of French banks; HSBC's Asia fallout
Vive la différence: why French investment banks are a safer option
Working for a French investment bank in the City has its downsides - the pay is generally less than at US and European peers and the dominance of the Paris-HQ means some London employees denigrate the culture. However, currently it seems like a safe option.
[UK]
HSBC job cuts: Singapore saved; Hong Kong hit
Yes, we've all heard HSBC's dramatic announcement that it will slash 30,000 jobs globally, mostly in the back office. But some light has now been shed on what this means for Asia Pacific. The Straits Times reports that the firm will not axe staff in Singapore and will instead hire up to 1,000 people in trade, wealth management and financial markets over the next five years.
South Africa's banks struggling to find talented accounting and financial staff
The shortage of skilled workers has become chronic in South Africa and is having a direct effect on growth. Banks and companies are finding it particularly hard to fill positions with accounting and financial staff, according to two separate reports released by recruitment companies Adcorp and Manpower. [South Africa]
Is Scotland's appeal as a centre for asset management diminishing?
It's becoming more difficult for UK fund managers to attract foreign candidates, and given Scottish firms' new-found predilection for looking internationally for new recruits, this is a reason for concern. [Scotland]
Changing regulatory landscape spurring demand for compliance staff
The European-wide focus on compliance and regulation is making hiring and retaining compliance and risk expertise a much greater priority for Nordic banks. European banks are currently battling with a whole raft of new regulations, such as MiFID II and Basel III.
[Denmark]
Are there too many old white men working in UK private banking?
As a sector, private banking isn't really considered a bastion of diversity. Not only is there a still relatively small proportion of women, but UK wealth management is, according to some recruiters, littered with too many fusty, old, white, upper class men.
[UK]
Who hired in the Middle East in July?
Considering we're in the middle of the traditional summer recruitment lull, there was a decent amount of hiring within the Middle East financial sector last month. BMI bank, the Bahraini institution, has named Yacoub Yousif Ahmed Abdulla as head of operations. It has also hired Eyad Yousif Sater as its new general manager for support services.
Redundancy risk and compensation projections bank-by-bank
Some investment banks are cutting jobs, others are paring back compensation, while a few unfortunates face both shaky career prospects and smaller bonuses. Now that most major investment banks have reported their (generally negative) second quarter earnings, it's worth taking a look at both pay and job prospects. [UK]
The typical bank in Australia: Our hiring's complete, the market's uncertain and we're cautious about headcount
There are still skill shortages in some functions and the local job market isn't as bad as in the US and Europe, but overall recruitment rates are lower today than they were a year ago, according to delegates at the recent eFinancialCareers roundtable in Sydney. The event was attended by 23 in-house HR professionals from leading financial institutions.
Ireland's financial sector is facing a shortage of technologists
In contrast with most other sectors in Ireland, if you work in technology you're likely to have no shortage of new job options available to you. Ireland's growing reputation as a centre for research and development means that announcements from IT companies expanding are appearing on a near weekly basis.
