The recruitment plans are a promising sign for workers in an industry that remains under pressure to reduce headcount, and underscore how banks see tech investment as a priority even as the pandemic hammers economies. Asia has emerged faster from the months-long lockdown, giving room for lenders in the region to step up recruiting.
(June 18): A hiring slowdown at banks in Asia is beginning to thaw, driven by demand for coders.
Lenders including DBS Group Holding Ltd., Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. and Citigroup Inc. are adding workers to their tech departments in the region despite the economic downturn. Financial institutions are especially hungry for mobile app designers and data scientists who can build systems to crunch figures and move business online, recruiters say.
“Over the past few months, we have certainly seen the banking sector slow down its hiring due to Covid-19,” said Bethan Howell, a Hong Kong-based consultant at financial recruiter Selby Jennings Ltd. “However, we are now seeing the hiring freezes thawing and with this, a large amount of roles” emerging in technology, Howell said.
