London is forecast to account for 53% of UK banking vacancies in 2026, up from 49% in 2025, according to analysis from Morgan McKinley and Vacancysoft.
The report projects a 9% increase in UK banking vacancies overall. London is expected to record 18% growth, compared with 1% across the rest of the country, suggesting an uneven hiring recovery rather than a broad-based rebound.
“For employers, a growing market does not necessarily mean an easier hiring market. As demand becomes more concentrated around particular locations and capabilities, competition for the right talent is likely to remain strong.”
Chris Lawton, Morgan McKinley
Manchester is another area of forecast growth, with vacancies expected to rise by 69% and its share of the national total to increase from 3% to 5%. The North West is forecast to grow by 32%, while Glasgow, Belfast and Edinburgh are projected to see declines of 8%, 10% and 2% respectively.
By function, commercial banking vacancies are forecast to rise by 31%. IT management and IT engineering are projected to grow by 14% and 8%. Operations is forecast to fall by 1%, risk and compliance to grow by 2%, and accountancy to decline by 6%.
JPMorgan, Barclays and Citi are expected to account for a combined 23% of vacancies, up from 20%. Morgan McKinley said the concentration of demand could keep competition for particular skills strong even as overall hiring improves.
The analysis uses Vacancysoft data drawn from company careers pages with duplicate postings removed. Full-year 2026 figures are forecasts, not completed-year totals. Read the report.
