Almost half of HR managers expect City hiring levels to increase in the remainder of 2010.

Almost half of HR managers expect City hiring levels to increase in the remainder of 2010, and roughly a third predict the increase will come from new job creation.

The survey by recruitment consultancy Morgan McKinley of 194 HR managers showed that the number of newly available financial services jobs in the City rose by 49 per cent on the same period last year.

Opinion was split regarding salaries, as 48 per cent expect the average City salary to stay the same for the remainder of the year, whereas 47 per cent believe salaries are set to rise.

Andrew Evans, MD at Morgan McKinley Financial Services, comments: ‘While there are not talent shortages across the board, the poaching of staff by competitors continues to be a concern. In turn, remuneration structure is high on the agenda as managers look at ways of retaining and rewarding staff that fits with the current public sentiment towards bonuses, whilst also enabling the City to remain a competitive and attractive place to work.’

The average salary for new jobs in the City in June was £53,231, which was 4 per cent down on May, but 6 per cent up from June 2009.