The pressure on the financial services talent pool is continuing, according to research by Morgan McKinley.

It found that despite February being a short month, the number of individuals looking for new job opportunities in London’s financial services industry kept pace with January 2007 levels. The number of new jobs coming on to the market in February was 22% higher than the average new vacancy number for the whole of last year.

Robert Thesiger, chief executive of Morgan McKinley, says: “It is not just the permanent hiring market that remains strong within the investment banking and financial services industry in London, both sides of the recruitment coin are extremely busy at present. With pressure on supply, institutions are looking to fill the void with the best talent available, whether that is on a permanent, interim or temporary basis.”

It found that salaries remained static for the majority, with the average salary for February standing at £51,087, up 0.7% on January 2007 levels and 2.6% compared to February the previous year. Senior level salaries saw the strongest growth, rising 4.2% compared to February 2006 to an average of £79,955.