Financial news Ireland – job market news, recruitment & career trends in Ireland for the finance sector

Bank of Ireland has transferred over 2,000 staff from its retail banking division in the Republic to the group's central support functions in the face of reduced business activity. Elsewhere, total headcount has reduced by just 5%, but a hiring freeze remains and bonuses have been slashed as part of an ongoing cost-cutting exercise. "Staff numbers are down as a result of a recruitment freeze, a policy of non-replacement of... Read more

Irish financial firms are still scrambling for a limited pool of compliance staff, and salaries have surged over the last year. Thanks to the Re-Insurance Directive – fully implemented on 10 December 2007 – and to Ireland’s heavily regulated financial markets, demand for compliance staff soared last year as investment banks, fund administrators, global custodians and insurance firms all beefed up their teams. What’s more, salaries for senior level staff leapt... Read more

Ireland’s Financial Regulator is recruiting 20 supervisors to oversee risk management and compliance within the six domestic banks covered by the state guarantee of liabilities. It's a sign that the regulator is rolling up its sleeves and getting involved in the day-to-day supervision of the banks that have signed up for the government scheme. The new recruits will be placed within the firms to manage regulatory compliance and all aspects... Read more

The formation of a “bad bank” for domestic institutions’ floundering loan books following yesterday’s emergency budget could actually create some job opportunities for those brave enough to apply. The government has taken a fairly bold decision of creating a National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) operating under the National Treasury Management Agency, which will take-over an estimated €80-90bn of impaired property and development loans extended by Irish banks. With this comes a revised... Read more

At best, banking salaries in Ireland have been frozen this year and in worst-case scenarios, they're actually being reduced. However, bank employees should stand up for their rights and ensure they at least receive the minimum rise required by law. Larry Broderick, general secretary of the Irish Bank Officials' Association says that bank staff - faced with pay cuts, possible redundancy and reduced pension provision - should demand that any salary... Read more

Two words can be used to largely sum up the financial services jobs market in Ireland this year – hiring freeze. While it’s true that the vast majority of sectors suffered, some managed to fare well in the face of adversity. 2009 has been a good year for… Insurance: The number of new jobs created might not be astronomical, but the fact that Ireland has continued to attract new insurance entrants to... Read more

It's safe to say that Ireland's financial regulator is about to be a lot busier. It's having to oversee the recapitalisation of the domestic banks, reduce their reliance on government funding, as well as make a raft of regulatory changes to bring Ireland in line with what's happening globally. Not surprisingly, it's on a major recruitment drive. The regulator plans on hiring 160 people this year – to bring its... Read more

A new survey by recruitment firm Joslin Rowe suggests that financial services hiring activity in Ireland is soaring, while growth in Scotland is more modest. Recruitment in Dublin soared between April and May, with permanent hiring activity increasing by a massive 53% month on month. “The financial services sector in Ireland is booming. One of the biggest areas is the funds area, and the fund administration area,” says Helen O’Reilly, head... Read more

We've all seen variations on the list of common questions interviewers ask, but how much have you thought about what questions you should ask a potential employer? The best interviews are really conversations, as well they should be. You want to know if the position is the right fit - just as much as the company does. After all, the work you do makes up a good portion of your waking... Read more

Bank of Ireland Asset Management is looking to hire 18 new staff in the next few weeks. The banks hopes to boost its numbers adding three investment managers and 15 research specialists in a bid to win back lost clients, Businessworld.ie reports. Mick Sweeney, chief executive of BIAM says the business has restructured to include the introduction of a global research platform to “accelerate turnaround in our performance.”

London may pay its financial services employees almost 38% more, but once rent and bills are paid Irish workers may be better off at the end of the month. And it’s all down to tax. A new survey by UBS investment bank shows that workers in Dublin have the third highest purchasing power in the world. The Irish Times reports that after paying for essential goods and services, Dubliners are able... Read more

Stockbroking and corporate finance firm Merrion Capital is boosting its capabilities in Ireland with a new office in Cork and additional new hires. “We will get bigger over the next two or three months, but we will probably expect to hire six or seven people in the new year into stockbroking and corporate finance,” says finance director Michael Hutton. “We will be looking for reasonably senior level revenue generators. We are... Read more

Positive sentiment around the Irish financial services job market is still a relatively rare beast, so it's reassuring to see that the number of new vacancies is heading in the right direction again and that firms are now committing to permanent hires. According to figures from Irish recruiters Premier Group, financial services vacancies on its books have risen by 11% since December, but that's not to suggest hiring is across... Read more

“May you die in Ireland” is a phrase used as a blessing, not a curse. These days, living in the Irish capital is the blessing sought by many prospective employees. The Celtic Tiger economy has catapulted Dublin into the premier league of financial centres, with heavyweight names like Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase, State Street, Commerzbank, Sumitomo, BNP Paribas and ABN Amro all firmly ensconced in the heart of the city. In the... Read more

To the uninitiated, a NAV may sound like a piece of exciting new getting-directions technology for the car or an emergent social phenomenon, but the reality is more mundane. Recruiters say it’s one reason for Ireland’s current skills shortage. Ireland’s financial services sector is focused on the business of fund administration, and to a large degree, funds administration is about calculating Net Asset Valuations (NAVs). Calculated on a daily basis, NAVs... Read more

Ireland’s insurance market is in good health: profits for 2005 are expected to reach record levels and in recent years the industry has benefited from an influx of global companies in the wake of the September 11th disaster. It’s little surprise then that Irish insurers are hiring. “Recruitment in the Irish insurance market is very buoyant,” says Lynda Barnes at Dublin-based Brightwater Search and Selection. She adds: “We’ve seen around a... Read more

Solicitors say UK government plans to introduce a new points-based immigration system will make it easier for non-EU financial services employees to work in the country. Julia Onslow Cole, a partner at law firm CMS Cameron McKenna, says in future most banking employees will be able to enter the UK without lining up a job in advance. Under the new system, migrants who amass more than 75 points after meeting a... Read more