Mounting Competition

The firm has seen a 25 percent increase in the number of hedge funds that have retained it to scout for job candidates globally last year compared with 2011, said Smith. Yet in terms of actual hiring, Asia has been tough in the last couple of years, he added, noting that potential employers are being more patient and selective in seeking talent.

Candidates in Asia also face mounting competition from job seekers in Europe, he said, with about 30 percent of potential hires willing to consider relocating to the region.

“In the last three years, there has been a large increase in the number of people from Europe seeking to make the move to Asia,” Smith said. “This trend has been driven by a decrease in employment opportunities and an increase in taxes in Europe.”

The Confederation of British Industry said in January that the country’s financial industry will lose 43,000 jobs in the six months to March. About 72 percent of the 2,872 employees who left London jobs at nine large banks that required the so-called approved-person registration with the U.K. Financial Services Authority between January 2012 and February 2013 haven’t found new roles to rejoin the register, according to a report posted on eFinancialCareers, a recruitment website.

Further Afield

Some Asian hedge-fund professionals have gone further afield. Sanjiv Bhatia in December joined Harvard Management Co., which oversees the endowment of the university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, after closing down his Isometric Investment Advisors Ltd. in Hong Kong. He’d set up the now- defunct hedge fund in 2009 after running Asian investments for Deephaven Capital Management LLC, a hedge fund in St. Francis, Wisconsin.

Christophe Lee, who worked at FrontPoint Partners after heading SHK Fund Management Ltd., confirmed that he became chief financial officer of Hong Kong-headquartered device maker OrbusNeich Medical Inc. in March 2012. He declined to comment further.

Daren Riley -- who last year shut down Riley Paterson Investment Management Pte, a Singapore-based hedge fund he co- founded in 2007 -- now advises consultancy New Crossroads Asia, which helps facilitate investment in Southeast Asia, according to its website. Bhatia and Riley didn’t respond to e-mails seeking comment.

Future Fortunes