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

The wider labour market sets the mood for finance hiring, and right now that mood is careful. The market is best described as 'low hire, low fire', with weaker recruitment but only slight increases in redundancies, and vacancies have dropped below pre-pandemic levels Low Pay Commission Report 2025, GOV.UK. For finance teams, that means fewer speculative openings and more focus on roles that clearly add value.

There are still bright spots. In August to October 2025, the largest volume increase in vacancies was in the professional, scientific and technical activities sector, which rose by 5,000 ONS – Vacancies and jobs in the UK: November 2025. Financial analysis sits close to this professional-services demand, so FP&A roles benefit from that momentum even as broader hiring stays flat.

The direction of the market matters as much as the headline numbers. The monthly pulse from the KPMG and REC UK Report on Jobs KPMG and REC, UK Report on Jobs June 2026 tracks how permanent and temporary demand shifts across sectors, and it's a useful signal for finance leaders planning their next hire.

Which FP&A roles and skills are in demand right now?

FP&A hiring rewards a specific mix: forecasting, budgeting, variance analysis and the data skills to make sense of it all. That pattern mirrors a wider market trend, where businesses take a cautious approach overall but keep chasing specialist skills, with clear demand hotspots for AI and data capabilities Computer Weekly (tech recruitment outlook 2026).

Data fluency is now core to the role, not a nice-to-have. Demand for AI skills increased nearly 200 percent in a year, and London accounts for a large share of that activity The Register (Accenture data). FP&A analysts who can build models, automate reporting and turn numbers into decisions stand out against a crowded field.

One dynamic to watch is the entry-level squeeze. Adzuna has seen a 30 percent drop in UK entry-level job postings since ChatGPT's launch, with graduates facing the toughest market since 2018 techUK – What's actually happening with entry-level and graduate jobs?. For finance teams, that makes junior FP&A talent harder to spot but no less valuable, so it pays to look beyond the obvious CV.

How do you hire an FP&A analyst well in this market?

Start with the outcome, not the job title. Define the three or four things the analyst must deliver in their first year: a reliable rolling forecast, cleaner month-end reporting, or a business partner the sales team trusts. A tight brief filters applicants faster and helps you assess the skills that actually matter.

Test for judgement, not just technique. A modelling exercise shows you spreadsheet skill, but a short case on a real budgeting decision shows you how someone thinks. With demand for data and AI skills climbing fast Computer Weekly (tech recruitment outlook 2026), probe how a candidate uses tools to save time and sharpen insight rather than replace their own analysis.

• Write a brief around outcomes and the first-year deliverables, not a generic duties list.
• Assess commercial judgement with a short, real-world case alongside any modelling test.
• Widen your search to strong juniors and career changers, given the tighter entry-level market.
• Move quickly: in a cautious market, the best analysts still have options.

Where does our AI recruitment agent fit into FP&A hiring?

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