Despite the flagging economy and turmoil in the financial services industry that includes massive layoffs on Wall Street and beyond, job postings and applications in many financial fields are up, including those for financial advisors and wealth managers, says a new comparison released by eFinancialCareers, a global recruiting and career development network of websites for capital markets and financial services professionals.
The number of job applications submitted in this year's second quarter zoomed 135% in the hedge fund sector, while those in the private banking/wealth management sector soared 116%. The latter category includes financial advisors, along with client analysts and private-client services managers.
Job applications in the commodity sector jumped 85%, while those in the asset managers category leaped 82%. The latter group is more institutional-oriented rather than individual investor-oriented.
Job postings also increased in the above sectors during the second quarter: up 38% for hedge funds, 32% for commodities, 10% for asset management, and 8% for private banking/wealth management.
According to eFinancialCareers, the one area that's not faring well on the jobs front is the derivatives sector, where job applications declined 14% and job postings sank 30%.