Salaries for IT professionals in the financial services sector have risen by
as much as 15 per cent in the past six months.
According to the latest quarterly IT skills survey from research firm SSL,
carried out for Personnel Today’s sister magazine Computer Weekly, the number
of jobs advertised for IT professionals in the finance sector has jumped by 32
per cent in the past two quarters.
The dramatic rise is due to several investment banks recruiting heavily in
London and paying more than the market rate for people with strong business and
IT skills, industry watchers said.
"Over the past six months, permanent recruitment has gone up tidily,
and contract even more so," said Anne Swain, chief executive of the
Association of Technology Staffing Companies. "Some of the financial
institutions are paying above the market rate because they are desperate."
Sean Zimdahl, managing director of Aston Carter, which specialises in
supplying IT staff to banks, said: "We have seen a dramatic ramp up over
the past two quarters. Counter-offers from firms that want to keep their staff
are also increasing."
