The easiest age for finding a job in finance

If you want a new job in financial services, how old should be when you apply? Our research suggests you'd better not leave it until you're past your mid-30s. The sweet-spot for finance job hunting is between the ages of 24 and 28.

These figures are based upon a comparison of résumés uploaded to eFinancialCareers over the past three months and with jobs advertised on the site. Both jobs and CVs can be segmented in terms of years of experience. Globally, we have the fewest CVs per job for people with between three and seven years' experience. Assuming people begin their finance careers aged 21, this implies a comparative talent shortage for 24 to 28 year-olds. Even so, there are 14 CVs for each advertised job globally, but this is nothing compared to the 300 CVs available for each finance job requiring 15 years+ experience.

Curiously, our data suggests it's a lot easier to find a job as a young finance professional in London and New York than it is in Hong Kong and Singapore. Conversely, finance professionals aged 35+ should find it easier to get new jobs in Asia than in the West. We have 400 CVs for each role with more than 15 years' experience on Wall Street and 'just' 43 in Hong Kong and Singapore.

In London, it looks especially easy to find a finance job when you're aged 20-21 - reflecting the comparative shortage of CVs for jobs requiring 'no experience.'

In the charts below, the shortest bars with the fewest CVs per job represent the best age to go job hunting in each market.