Fintech sits where financial services and technology meet, so its hiring reflects both. On the financial services side, recruitment is generally aimed at senior and specialist roles. The government's shortage work found that in financial services, recruitment was generally for Regulatory Qualification Framework (RQF) 6+ roles, rather than RQF 3-5 GOV.UK - Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report. In plain terms, firms are reaching for degree-level and above, not entry-level support.
On the technology side, demand is climbing fast. Demand for AI skills increased nearly 200 percent in a year, with London accounting for 80 percent of AI-related job postings and nearly two-thirds of all technology vacancies in the UK The Register (Accenture data). For fintech, where product and support both run on software, that pressure lands squarely on the teams who keep customers moving.
The wider picture is one of growth, not shrinkage. Across AI-related occupations, the net change ranges from approximately 696,000 jobs in the Automation Scenario to 1,072,000 in the Technological Opportunities Scenario, with replacement demand rising from 3,077,000 to 3,193,000 jobs across these scenarios AI Skills for Life and Work: Labour market and skills projections - GOV.UK. So the question for fintech leaders isn't whether jobs disappear, it's which jobs change.
When an agent answers first, the shape of a support team shifts. Routine queries, balance checks, password resets, status updates, get resolved instantly. What's left for people is the regulated, the ambiguous and the emotionally charged: a disputed transaction, a vulnerable customer, a compliance edge case. Those sit higher up the skills ladder, which matches the senior, RQF 6+ pattern the government found in financial services GOV.UK - Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report.
This reshaping also raises the bar on skills. The UK government announced a partnership to upskill 7.5 million UK workers in essential AI skills by 2030, equivalent to around 20% of the UK workforce techUK. For support teams, that means knowing how to supervise an agent, read its outputs and step in with confidence becomes part of the day job.
The geography matters too. London accounting for 80 percent of AI-related job postings and nearly two-thirds of all technology vacancies in the UK tells you where this talent concentrates The Register (Accenture data). If you're hiring outside the capital, you're competing for a thinner pool, so your process has to work harder.
Start by rewriting the role, not reposting the old one. If an agent answers first, the human role is judgement, escalation and customer care under regulation. Screen for problem-solving and communication over scripted call-handling. The projections point to strong replacement demand, with replacement demand rising from 3,077,000 to 3,193,000 jobs across these scenarios AI Skills for Life and Work: Labour market and skills projections - GOV.UK, so expect turnover and keep a steady pipeline.
Build for AI fluency. With a national push to upskill 7.5 million UK workers in essential AI skills by 2030 techUK, the people who can work alongside an agent are the ones you want. Ask candidates how they'd check an agent's answer, correct it and handle a case it gets wrong.
Finally, move quickly and look beyond London. With demand for AI skills up nearly 200 percent in a year The Register (Accenture data), the best people don't stay on the market long. A slow process loses them. Widen your search geographically and sharpen your shortlisting so you reach strong people before someone else does.
This is where we help. We search 15 million candidates and return a ranked shortlist in under 30 seconds, so you reach the people who can work alongside your agents before the market moves. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost, through Reed.ai. Tell us the role and we'll start the shortlist today.
