Banks’ hiring spree boosts headhunter

INVESTMENT banks are scrambling to hire more staff in London thanks to a resurgence in the global economy, a headhunting firm has said.

Staff at recruitment group robert Walters saw demand for workers from banks and other financial firms rise 50pc in the first three months of the year.

The hiring spree comes as the world puts the financial crisis behind it – and will be seen as a huge vote of confidence in the City following the Brexit vote. It has been suggested that jobs will be move abroad because of Brexit.

But chief executive robert Walters said that so far the only discussions he’d had on office moves were with three banks which had categorically ruled out relocating to France because of its restrictive labour laws.

He said banks that do move will have to take their staff with them because of a short- age of skilled workers in other European cities. But he added that many bankers would be totally unwilling to uproot their families and swap the UK for Paris or Frankfurt.

‘You’ve got to look at the reality of it – the people who have to move will be in their mid-30s, living in the Home Counties with a wife who likes horse riding and can’t speak german,’ said Walters.

‘The problem with Frankfurt and Dublin and other places is there are no schools available, the housing shortage is intense and there are problems with transport.’

Some of the most blood-curdling rhetoric before the vote came from JP Morgan boss Jamie Dimon, who threatened to sack 4,000 British workers if Leave won. But he has since U-turned, writing last week that not many employees would have to shift abroad.