UK finance jobs surge, led by tech & fintech roles

UK finance hiring rose 13% year on year in 2025, with technology-led roles and fintech recruitment recording the strongest growth, according to data from Morgan McKinley and Vacancysoft.

The report tracked professional vacancies listed on company career pages. It found banking remained the largest source of finance hiring. It also pointed to rising demand in accountancy and continued concentration of roles in London.

The figures suggest employers increased recruitment even as inflationary pressure and broader economic uncertainty persisted through the year. The report linked growth to hiring tied to digital infrastructure, regulatory compliance and risk management.

Sector breakdown

Banking accounted for 61% of finance vacancies in 2025. Vacancies in banking rose 8% from the previous year.

Fintech expanded 29% year on year. Accountancy vacancies climbed 15%.

Greater London grew 17% and increased its share of UK financial vacancies to 53%. The report said some parts of the country contracted. It also recorded double-digit gains in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Accountancy shifts

Accountancy hiring rose 15% year on year. Demand for core accountant roles increased 14%.

The report found a sharp rise at the top end of the market. Executive management vacancies in accountancy more than doubled.

Technology-linked hiring also increased within accountancy teams. IT hiring rose 40% and represented 15% of accountancy vacancies.

Some functions saw less recruitment. The report recorded a decline in consultancy and HR roles within accountancy, which it attributed to a focus on operational hiring.

Several large professional services firms posted contrasting results. Deloitte and KPMG recorded increases of 80% and 37% respectively. PwC and BDO saw vacancies fall by more than a third.

In a comment on the recruitment environment, Morgan McKinley set out how it sees the market shifting.

"After several years of disruption, the UK financial service jobs market has entered a more selective and disciplined phase. While hiring is no longer volume-driven, organisations are investing with greater precision in roles that support productivity, transformation and long-term competitiveness. This shift reflects structural change rather than short-term volatility, with employers positioning now for the next growth cycle," said Victoria Walmsley, Managing Director, Morgan McKinley.

Banking patterns

Within banking, recruitment focused on technology and operations. IT management roles rose 42%. Banking operations roles increased 30%.

Development and engineering vacancies climbed 24%. The report described this as consistent with a "tech-first focus" within banking recruitment.

Risk and compliance vacancies dipped slightly, though the report said the area remained foundational to hiring plans. Commercial banking vacancies fell 10%.

Trends varied by employer. JPMorgan, Barclays and Citi recorded growth in vacancies. HSBC reduced vacancies by 24%.

Fintech hiring

Fintech recorded the fastest growth across the major finance segments, with vacancies rising 29%. The report pointed to a steep rise in technical and product roles. Software engineering and product management roles rose by more than 70%.

Business development vacancies increased 47%.

Radius, Ebury Partners and Monzo recorded vacancy growth of 50% to 90%, according to the report. It also noted slower hiring growth at Sage and Revolut.

Starling Bank recorded a 24% decline in vacancies.

In a table of selected fintech employers, Radius vacancies rose from 442 to 855, an increase of 93%. Wise grew from 335 to 618, up 85%. SumUp increased from 161 to 500, up 211%. Deel rose from 476 to 494, up 4%. Ebury increased from 293 to 468, up 60%.

The report described the fintech market as more mature than in earlier phases of growth. It said recruitment reflected greater emphasis on operational capacity across areas including payments, credit and compliance, alongside established growth areas such as software and product development.

The authors said they expect recruitment to remain shaped by digital change and selective investment across banking, fintech and accountancy through the next phase of the cycle.