Around 40% of the highest volume recruiters in the City are expecting their bonuses to be 25% larger than last year, according to a survey conducted by Morgan McKinley.

A further 40% feel that the majority of their employees will not be disappointed with their bonus payout, the survey found.

It found that as a result, finance workers are less willing to seek new job opportunities in the run-up to bonus season, preferring to wait for their payout before moving roles. This is reflected in new candidate numbers for October 2006 remaining relatively flat, up only 0.25% compared to September levels.

Likewise, new job opportunities saw a slight drop of 5.5% on the September figure, a typical seasonal adjustment in activity levels as we move into the last quarter of the year.

Robert Thesiger, chief executive of Morgan McKinley, says: “Early signs suggest that confidence in the City of London is running high for next year, with a number of the highest volume recruiters in the City indicating that they are looking to increase their headcount, some by as much as 25%.

“Candidate movement in the market is likely to remain relatively steady until the bonus season has drawn to a close and bonuses are safely in their bank accounts. They will then turn their attention to job hunting and look to take advantage of the plethora of financial job opportunities that will be coming on to the market in 2007.”

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