What does the state of banking and financial services hiring look like now?

Recruitment across financial services has narrowed to more senior, more qualified work. The government's latest review found that in the sector, recruitment was generally for Regulatory Qualification Framework (RQF) 6+ roles, rather than the RQF 3 to 5 band GOV.UK - Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report. In plain terms, firms are reaching for degree-level and professional expertise, not entry-level cover.

That sits inside a wider slowdown. The UK labour market is currently described as 'low hire, low fire', with weaker recruitment but only slight increases in redundancies, and vacancies below pre-pandemic levels Low Pay Commission Report 2025, GOV.UK. Yet demand hasn't vanished everywhere: the largest volume increase in vacancies in August to October 2025 was in professional, scientific and technical activities, up by 5,000 ONS – Vacancies and jobs in the UK: November 2025. Hiring is more selective, and the roles that move are skilled ones.

How are AI agents changing the roles and skills firms need?

When an agent handles a client's balance check, payment query or standard product question, the human's job shifts to the calls a machine shouldn't make on its own: reading intent, weighing risk, and deciding when something needs escalation. That is judgement, and it is rising in value precisely because the routine layer is being automated.

The demand signal is loud. Demand for AI skills increased nearly 200 percent in a year, with London accounting for 80 percent of AI-related job postings The Register (Accenture data). Firms are also rebuilding how they bring talent in from the ground up: apprenticeships have risen from 3% of AI hires in 2020 to 19% in 2025 GOV.UK / DSIT – AI Labour Market Survey 2025 report. At the same time, entry routes are tightening, with Adzuna recording a 30% drop in UK entry-level job postings since ChatGPT's launch techUK – What's actually happening with entry-level and graduate jobs?. The message for banking and financial services is clear: hire for the human skills that agents can't replicate.

How do you hire well in banking and financial services today?

Start with the work, not the job title. Map which queries your agents already handle, then define the human role around what's left: exceptions, complex advice, regulated decisions and the moments that need a person's read of the client. Those are the roles worth hiring for well.

• Write for judgement, not tasks: describe the decisions someone will own and the risk they'll carry, so applicants self-select on capability.
• Prioritise qualified and regulated expertise where the market is concentrated, given recruitment leans toward RQF 6+ roles GOV.UK - Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report.
• Build your own pipeline through apprenticeships and structured entry, following the shift toward apprenticeship hiring in AI-adjacent roles GOV.UK / DSIT – AI Labour Market Survey 2025 report.
• Move quickly on strong people: in a 'low hire' market Low Pay Commission Report 2025, GOV.UK, the best applicants are scarce and don't wait.
• Test for the human layer: assess how someone handles ambiguity, escalation and client trust, not just technical recall.

Get the definition and the speed right, and you hire people whose judgement compounds as your automation grows.

Where does an AI recruitment agent fit for banking and financial services hiring?

Reed.ai handles recruitment end to end so you can focus on the judgement calls that matter. We search a database of 15 million people, rank a shortlist in under 30 seconds, contact matched people in under a minute, and can book an interview in minutes. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost. If you're hiring for the roles agents can't replace, start today and see your shortlist.