City firms desperate for hacking gurus

THE City’s hiring spree shows no sign of slowing down, a major head hunter has said – with antihacking gurus top of firms’ wish lists.

Robert Walters saw profits at its finance-focused UK business grow 13pc to £26.2m in the last quarter of 2017, compared with a year earlier, while worldwide group profits were up 19pc at £90.5m. The business said demand is still strong, despite Remainer claims that Brexit would spark a mass exodus of bankers.

And boss Robert Walters added that IT experts were most in demand. He said: ‘We’re seeing new jobs in terms of cyber-security, risk, compliance and audit. The policeman of the banking world is very popular.’

He would not be drawn on how much a typical cyber expert could earn, but said the profession is ‘exceptionally well paid’.

Big businesses are scrambling to protect themselves from cyber-criminals.

A study last year suggested that a successful hack cost the average FTSE 100 firm £120m.