With changing global markets and challenges that come with digital transformation the finance job market is in flux. Traditionally the Big 4 of EY, PwC, Deloitte, and KPMG are the companies that set the trends in finance. And they are the companies that also recruit a substantial amount of finance professionals each year. How have these recruiting trends changed and what awaits us in 2024?
PwC and others have seen the significance of diversity in their recruiting plans. In the UK the firm has published a number of roles for ‘Black Talent’ or ‘Women in Business’. But some of the roles the firm has advertised include working with the insurance sector, specifically with actuaries. Something that appears to correlate with the growth opportunities we are seeing in the insurance sector today.
At Deloitte the number of roles is substantially fewer than PwC have advertised. The firm have some roles for BrightStart Higher Apprenticeships, but other than that this year appears to be ‘business as usual’ for the audit giant.
With KPMG there is a more similar demand to PwC. There are several roles being advertised for ‘Black Heritage Talent Insight Programmes’ as well as some roles within the actuarial space.
EY, like many audit firms, is looking for some people with cryptography and blockchain experience. This is due to the continued growth of Web3 and the auditing that it will need. Not all of the audit firms are interested in this space but all of the Big 4 offer auditing services for companies in the digital assets space today. They just don’t appear to be recruiting many of these people. For now.
What about Artificial Intelligence in the Finance industry?
One of the roles that is missing in the list above is the role of prompt engineer. With the huge rise in demand that we are seeing for all things artificial intelligence this might come as a surprise. There are some roles listed for Data Engineers and Data Policy analysts, but not as many as one would have expected. PwC has some artificial intelligence developer roles being advertised online today. KPMG is even looking for a Director of AI Architecture.
With automation continuing to be a priority for companies across the world it would be astute to assume that demand simply needs to catch up. And the prompt engineer role should start to appear on the horizon for finance professionals soon. Especially if you are involved in data.
Has ESG run its course?
There has been a lot of talk about sustainability since the UN Sustainable Development Goals were initially set. And, with stock exchange listed companies needing to provide improved reporting about the carbon footprint of their supply chain this space will continue to grow.
All of the Big 4 firms are recruiting people for some section of the ESG space today. And roles like carbon accounting or climate risk modelling are being advertised today. These roles will likely continue to rise in popularity as a younger generation of investors and business leaders start to populate companies across the world.
But, in summary, it may not be the huge change for those looking for roles in finance this year. Auditors, Finance Analysts, Finance Managers are all in demand still and dominate the finance vacancies advertised online today.
What do you think that finance professionals should be aware of in 2024?
