Despite regular market fluctuations, the finance industry shows a steady annual growth rate of 7.9% according to 2023-2030 forecasts. Of course, this figure is higher in established hubs with a long tradition in banking and fintech. But which cities worldwide offer the best career opportunities for finance experts? And which professions are in the highest demand?
Here at SignalHire, we decided to take a closer look at the finance job market worldwide. Our database is used by recruiters worldwide, allowing them to pinpoint candidates with relevant skills based on their location and other job-related parameters. So, we have access to factual search data from recruiters looking to fill in new vacancies.
To create this article, we delved into the recruiting search history made over our database to see which cities worldwide have the most openings in the finance niche — and which professions are in the highest demand.
Table of Contents:
Chicago, IL, United States
Job Growth: 5%
Top 5 Finance Jobs in the City: Accounting Manager, Accountant, Audit Manager, Financial Controller, Financial Advisor
Chicago is one of the leading financial centers worldwide, with roughly a third of the global futures traded here. The Chicago metropolitan area is equally promising for any fintech professionals willing to relocate. This US city won the name of a finance capital back in 1914, after the founding of the Federal Reserve Bank, headquartered in this very city. Today, Chicago is home to some of the largest US banks, such as JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, BMO Harris Bank, and Northern Trust.
But Chicago has more to offer — its finance industry is diverse and not limited to banking alone. In the US, Chicago has the highest ratio of business and finance professionals working in various spheres, so qualified accountants and advisors will have plenty of career opportunities here.
San Francisco, CA, United States
Job Growth: 5%
Top 5 Finance Jobs in the City: Investment Banking Analyst, Tax Accountant, Certified Public Accountant, Chief Financial Officer, Credit Analyst
San Francisco’s Financial District is home to multiple Fortune 500 companies, i.e., SalesForce, Uber, and Wells Fargo. As of late 2023, the city has been looking for investment banking and credit accountants, and BLS predicts above-average job growth in the San Francisco fintech sector in the next few years.
Even though the city’s financial hub has seen a decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry is back on the rise. San Francisco has always been seen as the Western finance capital in the US — just like Chicago is on the Eastern Coast. So, it’s no wonder these two cities rank so high on our list of top cities for finance professionals.
Mumbai, Mumbai, India
Job Growth: 8%
Top 5 Finance Jobs in the City: Chief Financial Officer, Treasury Manager, Financial Controller, Accountant, Economist
Mumbai is the leading finance city in India, housing the country’s stock exchange and acting as one of the top brokerage centers in the world. It is also one of India’s most actively developing economies, renowned for its variety of companies in the manufacturing and IT sectors. No wonder such a buzzing economy is always on the lookout for CFOs, accountants, and qualified economists — the sheer number of tech startups in the city creates an ever-growing demand for fintech professionals.
As a pleasant bonus, Mumbai has a unique spirit you will never find in any other city. Formerly known as Bombay, it is one of those places people can either love or hate — but they can never forget.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Job Growth: 9.6%
Top 5 Finance Jobs in the City: Chief Financial Officer, Accountant, Asset Manager, Finance Manager, Chief Revenue Officer
Dubai also ranks among the international financial centers and is a true sector of excellence in the MEASA (Middle East, Africa, and Southern Asia) region. The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is quickly evolving—in a few short years, it moved from 17th to 8th place in the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI) rating.
On the other hand, such a development is quite logical — Dubai is one of the wealthiest and most economically active regions in the area. Besides, the city fills the time-zone gap between other financial hubs — New York, London, and Tokyo. Dubai is a city of multiple investment opportunities and one of those places that will always value qualified experts in finance, accounting, revenue, and asset management.
Toronto, ON, Canada
Job Growth: 3.4%
Top 5 Finance Jobs in the City: Payroll Accountant, Accountant, Cost Controller, Accounting Manager, Financial Adviser
Toronto is the fintech and business capital of Canada, with plenty of international finance career opportunities for qualified experts. The city is home to the top five banks in the country, but Toronto’s career opportunities are not limited to banking alone. Right now, the demand for accountants and financial advisors is especially high, which is not surprising considering that the city, like many other markets worldwide, is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today, many companies in Toronto are looking for qualified financial advisors and payroll accountants to accommodate the growing business needs and create financial recruiting budgets for the multiple businesses flourishing in this city.
London, United Kingdom
Job Growth: 3.4% (all industries)
Top 5 Finance Jobs in the City: Audit Manager, Private Banker, Finance Director, Accountant, Assistant Audit Manager
For centuries, London has been one of the top cities for finance professionals and the dominant fintech hub in Europe. Right now, the financial vacancies are somewhat lower than they used to be in the last few decades, but London still offers multiple finance job opportunities to qualified experts. Accountants and audit managers will do especially well in this great city because the overall job growth in London shows a steady 3.4% rate — so businesses will keep hiring accounting experts to help them grow.
Seattle, WA, United States
Job Growth: 0.5% (all industries)
Top 5 Finance Jobs in the City: Accountant, Payroll Accountant, Payroll Specialist, Biller, Accounts Payable Coordinator
Seattle may not make the list of global finance hubs like London, but its international career opportunities are still very impressive. Lately, the city has become home to many tech and IT startups looking for qualified accountants and payroll specialists to help them develop further. Even though job growth rates across all Seattle industries are not very high, the city economy is rising quickly. Unlike established hubs with steady growth projections, Seattle seems to be on the edge of a major tech and finance boom — so why not try and catch that lucky wave?
New York, NY, United States
Job Growth: 15%
Top 5 Finance Jobs in the City: Financial Controller, Quantitative Researcher, Tax Assistant, Senior Tax Associate, Chief Financial Officer
New York has been one of the dominant financial centers for decades, and even though the city has seen a few ups and downs during its impressive fintech history, the industry is definitely on the rise again. After a short recession, the NY fintech sector is actively reestablishing its positions and is hiring tax associates, financial controllers, and CFOs for its buzzing business environment. The US Bureau of Labor has especially high hopes for the New York fintech sector, estimating up to a 15% increase in the number of finance career opportunities by 2030.
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Job Growth: 6.3%
Top 5 Finance Jobs in the City: Accountant, Financial Controller, Finance Manager, Investment Banking Analyst, Chief Financial Officer
Sydney may not be the official capital of Australia, but it is the country’s heart and soul — and head, too, when it comes to fintech. Out of the 57 deposit-accepting banks that operate in Australia, 44 are located in Sydney, so investment banking analysts should have no difficulty finding employment here.
Besides, similar to other business hubs on this list, Sydney has an active economy with many established companies and younger businesses on the rise. Quite expected, these organizations always need expert accountants, finance managers, and CFOs to ensure steady business growth. This means that international finance career opportunities in this amazing city will not be lacking.
Methodology
SignalHire is a contact database primarily used by recruiters. It allows them to find professionals with specific skill sets in any location worldwide. To create this article, we have analyzed the search history made over our database from September 2023 until February 2024.
Then, we filtered out all job searches related to the financial industry and handpicked the top nine cities with the highest number of search requests in the fintech sector, listing them from highest to lowest.
Further on, we have analyzed the most popular vacancies in each handpicked location to create the list of the top five in-demand jobs in every city. Since the data presented here is taken from one database, it may vary slightly from other statistical sources. However, it still presents a very good overview of the finance job prospects worldwide.
The data about job growth in every city was taken from official government websites and other publicly available sources. In most cases, it presents employment growth in the finance sector — with the exception of London and Seattle, where no such information was available. Therefore, we presented the average job growth rate across all industries instead.
US job growth data were taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which offers the agency’s projections of the expected employment growth by 2030.
Conclusion
This post analyzes of the most striving finance job opportunities worldwide based on internal SignalHire data accumulated in late 2023-early 2024. Any of these cities can become an excellent destination for a finance expert willing to relocate. But since relocation to a new country, where you may not even speak the language, can be daunting, we suggest that you also check out our analysis on the best UK cities for work and top US locations with the most career opportunities. The data from these two posts was also taken from our database, and since the analyzed searches took place in late 2023, the information is still relevant. More importantly, both the UK and the US offer plenty of job opportunities in the fintech sector — so give these articles a read and see for yourself!
