Asia banks seeking tech hires over star bankers this year

Hong Kong

FINANCIAL institutions in the Asia-Pacific region will be more inclined to hire technology specialists this year than investment bankers as they enhance product offerings and upgrade their systems, according to a survey by Options Group Inc.

Among regional financial-services managers, 40 per cent say they expect to increase their headcount for information technology-related roles this year, according to a September-October survey conducted by the New York-based recruiter. By comparison, only 18 per cent of the 380 managers surveyed intended to add jobs in investment banking, while 29 per cent may do …