Wall Street’s cost cuts and dismissals, which have helped erase more than 300,000 financial- industry jobs in the past two years, are far from over.
Citigroup Inc. (C)’s announcement yesterday of plans to eliminate 11,000 positions in units spanning equities trading to consumer banking is the latest sign of strain from a market slowdown, stiffer capital rules and weak economic growth. Lenders around the globe are likely to trim more jobs if revenue doesn’t rebound sharply next year, analysts and recruiters said.
“The knives are sharpened and ready,” said Jason Kennedy, chief executive officer of London-based search firm Kennedy Group. “These institutions are too big for the business they are generating but they are still quite bullish that the market will return by mid-2013. Unless the markets picks up, there will be more cuts in the first half.”
Bank of America Corp. and HSBC Holdings Plc (HSBA) said last year they would cut 30,000 jobs, and UBS AG (UBSN) announced in October that it would fire 10,000 workers and largely exit fixed-income trading. Banks are under pressure to cut costs as they earn returns on equity that are lower than their cost of capital.
Cuts may continue as executives look to boost stock valuations amid poor revenue growth in capital-markets businesses. Investment-banking and trading revenue at the 10 largest global firms may climb 2.8 percent this year to $148 billion, 32 percent below 2009 and 13 percent below 2010, according to data from industry analytics firm Coalition Ltd.
Choosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor from
via Wall Street Job Cuts Seen Persisting After Citigroup Firings – Businessweek.
Related Posts
UPDATE – Wall Street cuts jobs | 459,400 jobs in four years
U.S. financial sector loses 459,400 jobs in four years – The Business Journals The recession may officially be over, but its effects are lingering in the financial sector. The nation’s 100 biggest metropolitan areas lost a collective total of 459,400 financial-activities jobs during the past four years, according to an On Numbers analysis. The U.S. … Continue reading »
Citigroup / To cut 11,000 jobs
Citigroup Inc. will cut 11,000 jobs and take a $1-billion pre-tax charge to its fourth-quarter earnings as it tries to reduce costs and reposition itself under new corporate leadership. The job cuts — including closing 44 U.S. consumer banking branches — will save $900 million in 2013 and produce $1.1 billion in annual savings in … Continue reading »
Banks / Job cuts amount to near 160,000
Major banks have announced about 160,000 job cuts since early last year and with more layoffs to come as the industry restructures, many will leave the shrinking sector for good as redundancies outpace new hires by roughly two to one. A Reuters analysis of job cuts announced by 29 major banks showed the layoffs were … Continue reading »
Finance – Midlevel Jobs Going Out of Wall Street
New York’s biggest investment houses are shifting jobs out of the area and expanding in cheaper locales in the United States, threatening the vast middle tier of positions that form the backbone of employment on Wall Street. The shift comes even as banks consider deeper staff cuts here, which could undermine the state and city … Continue reading »
London – Financial sector to cut 13,000 jobs in 2013
London’s financial sector will lay off 13,000 staff in 2013, cutting employment in a key UK economic sector to a 20-year low, as job vacancies also drop in Europe and even Asia, studies showed. Financial firms in Europe’s biggest financial center have laid off more than 100,000 employees since a market peak in 2007, driven … Continue reading »
The City / Only 10% of bankers and hedge fund workers believed London will create the most new banking jobs over the next 12 months
Confidence in the City of London jobs market continues to weaken as UK bankers increasingly pick Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore as the generators of new jobs, according to a report. A study by recruitment firm Astbury Marsden found that only 10% of bankers and hedge fund workers believed London will create the most new … Continue reading »
Barclays / 3,500 jobs could be cut
Barclays could ax as many as 3,500 investment bank staff and cut its advisory or equities operations in Asia as part of a broader strategic review aimed at fixing the bank’s culture in the wake of the financial crisis. The future shape and size of the investment bank is seen as the most critical part … Continue reading »
Denmark / Saxo Bank to cut 266 jobs (17,5% of workforce)
Denmark’s Saxo Bank is to cut its workforce by 17.5 percent because of reduced trading activity, a source close to the company told Reuters. A total of 266 of the bank’s 1,513 employees will lose their jobs,” the source said. The bank declined to comment until after it had released a statement later on Tuesday. … Continue reading »
Banks need another 40,000 job cuts says Roland Berger Strategy
Roland Berger Strategy, one of the world’s leading consulting firms, said the global investment banking sector would need another 40,000 job cuts to restore sustainable economics. The sector has already stepped up restructuring programmes, reduced headcount by about 15,000 since mid-2011 and has announced another 25,000 job cuts. According to a report issued by the … Continue reading »
Germany – Commerzbank – Up to 6,000 jobs cut
Commerzbank, Germany’s second-biggest bank, is preparing to axe up to 10 percent of its workforce in the coming years, or 5,000-6,000 jobs, the weekly Die Zeit reported on Wednesday. Die Zeit, in a pre-release of an article to appear on Thursday, said Commerzbank is planning billions of euros in cost-cutting across all divisions between now … Continue reading »
Denmark – Danske Bank to cut 3000 jobs
Danske Bank unveiled plans to cut 3,000 jobs and sell 7 billion kroner (€900 million) in shares as Denmark’s largest lender looks for ways to increase its capital buffers. The measures were announced together with Danske’s third-quarter report, showing net income of 1.31 billion kroner, compared with a loss of 384 million kroner a year … Continue reading »
4 Big Banks to Begin New Layoffs
Here are big banks that are or could be planning big layoffs. Bank of America (NYSE:BAC): On Wednesday, BofA announced its intention to cut costs by $3 billion annually in its investment-banking, commercial-banking and wealth-management units. These cuts will happen by 2015. Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS): The mega bank also announced Wednesday its plans to cut …Continue reading »
Bank of America – A New Round of Layoffs
Bank of America Corp (BAC: 7.64, +0.16, +2.12%) has been cutting jobs in its commercial banking unit in recent weeks even as it tries to boost the group’s business, people familiar with the situation said, reflecting the bank’s broader struggles to grow in a tepid economy. The job cuts are the latest round in the … Continue reading »
Swiss Bank – Vontobel to cut jobs
Vontobel is planning to cut an undisclosed number of jobs, the latest Swiss private bank seeking to lower costs as the industry braces for lost revenue due to pressure on the country to stop harbouring tax evaders. Vontobel spokesman Reto Giudicetti confirmed comments by Chief Executive Zeno Staub in an interview with the Handelszeitung newspaper … Continue reading »
Deutsche Bank to Increase Job Cuts
Deutsche Bank AG (DBK), Europe‘s biggest bank by assets, will cut jobs and review its pay practices to help boost profitability as capital requirements rise and Europe’s debt crisis drags on. “Compensation practices are one important way to achieve … http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-11/deutsche-bank-plans-more-cuts-in-headcount-pay-to-reach-goals.html
Bank of France aiming to cut up to 2100 jobs in branches
Bank of France aiming to cut up to 2100 jobs in branches . . . http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/12/us-france-bankofrance-idUSBRE88B1DU20120912
Finance – Midlevel Jobs Going Out of Wall Street
New York’s biggest investment houses are shifting jobs out of the area and expanding in cheaper locales in the United States, threatening the vast middle tier of positions that form the backbone of employment on Wall Street. The shift comes even as banks consider deeper staff cuts here, which could undermine the state and city … Continue reading »
Australia | Finance Industry Has Lost 3k Jobs in the first 4 months of 2012
A shocking 3000 jobs have been lost in Australia’s finance industry in the first four months of the year according to the National Secretary of the Financial Services Union. Though the majority of these jobs were lost in the first six weeks of the year, with the announcement from the Australia & New Zealand Banking … Continue reading »
Europe’s banks bleed from Greek debt crisis | Reuters
The scars of Greece’s debt crisis were laid bare in heavy losses from a string of European banks on Thursday, and bosses warned the region’s precarious finances would continue to threaten economic growth and earnings. From France to Germany, Britain to Belgium, four of the region’s biggest banks lined up to reveal they lost more … Continue reading »
Job Market Monitor 
Hello There. I discovered your blog using msn.
This is a really well written article. I’ll make sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your helpful information. Thank you for the post. I will definitely comeback.
Posted by Ina | December 20, 2012, 4:58 pm