2025 Banking Recruitment and Salary Trends

Introduction

Today the development of technology, widespread automation of business processes and the introduction of artificial intelligence have affected many areas, including banking. In 2025, the US banking labor market is undergoing structural changes under these factors. Innovations are also influenced by changing customer expectations. Banks have begun to transform from traditional financial institutions into technology-enabled ecosystems, which is changing the demand for roles and the approach to hiring.

We analyzed proprietary data from 2025, covering 70,000+ job postings across the U.S. banking sector. This report reveals key hiring and salary trends – from time-to-hire metrics to compensation gaps and role-specific growth expectations. If you’re hiring in banking, this is your data edge.

What You’ll Learn in This Report

• The most in-demand roles in banking and how long they take to fill.
• Why the recruitment process in banking is so long and difficult.
• AI, cybersecurity, and compliance: where demand is growing fastest.
• Salary expectations across roles and U.S. regions.
• The widening compensation gap between junior and senior talent.
  
• What top-paying banks do differently to attract and retain talent.

Recruiters, hiring managers, and finance leaders will discover practical, data-backed insights to enhance hiring outcomes in an increasingly competitive market.

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Banking Recruitment is Evolving

The US banking sector is expanding its hiring for both traditional and advanced technology roles. AI-powered finance, risk management, and blockchain applications drive demand for new skills. Banks are not only expanding their workforces overall, but also changing their approach to hiring — the focus is shifting from traditional experience (education, skills, experience) to soft skills, digital literacy, and adaptability.

We analyzed 70,000+ banking job postings and here are some key takeaways that might be interesting to you:

📈 13% growth in AI-related banking roles.

🔒 30%+ increase in compliance hiring due to AML and ESG requirements.

💼 60–70% increase in investment banking recruitment at firms like JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs.

💡 50%+ of hiring managers now prioritize emotional intelligence alongside technical skills.

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The top-most in-demand and highly paid roles

The banking sector continues to adapt to digital and technological disruption, and these changes are reflected in the changing composition of in-demand jobs. New opportunities arise, but there are also risks, leading to increased demand for certain specialists.

Here’s a look at the most in-demand positions:

🔍 Fraud Analysts – critical in digital-first finance environments.

🤖 AI/ML Financial Modelers – rising demand across investment banks.

⚖️ Risk & Compliance Officers – growth fueled by regulatory changes.

🔗 Blockchain Developers – hardest to hire, often taking 30+ days to fill.

📞 Customer Experience Specialists – fill the fastest, often within 10 days.

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Salary Expectations

Salary expectations in banking are high. Some banking positions do offer high salaries, particularly for specialized roles. There is competition for skilled talent in banking, driving compensation for experienced candidates. The financial sector often offers competitive starting salaries to attract younger talent, positioning banks to appeal to junior professionals in the job market.

Here are the most popular and highly paid positions in today's banking sector:

• Blockchain developers are one of the most in-demand positions. They are also among the highest paid specialists. According to this analysis, blockchain developers earn about 130 thousand per year, while the average salary of junior specialists is about 95 thousand per year, and senior specialists – about 165 thousand, which makes this position very attractive and competitive.

The following most in-demand specialists are cybersecurity analysts and risk managers.

• Today, risk managers remain one of the most important and in-demand professions and earn an average of 123 thousand per year.
• The rapid migration of financial transactions to digital platforms has created an urgent demand for robust cybersecurity measures within banking institutions. This is why cybersecurity specialists are so in demand today, and the average salary is about 120 thousand per year.

Thus, the US banking industry in 2025 will be characterized by high demand for specialists in the field of financial analysis, cybersecurity, software development and risk management.

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Salary Trends in Banking

Banking salaries are climbing, especially in tech-adjacent roles.

• 🗽 New York remains the top-paying state, averaging $163K for senior roles.
• 💵 Mississippi is the lowest at $75K.
• ⚖️ The average gap between senior and mid-level roles is $30K.

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13%

increase in hiring for AI-related roles in banking.

40%

of banking roles now require skills in data analytics, AI-driven financial modeling, cybersecurity and blockchain technology.

39%

of banking leaders cite retaining top talent as their primary hiring challenge for 2025.

Despite the industry's growth, many companies are struggling to fill vacancies.

Vacancies in the banking industry remain open longer than usual, and the demand for qualified candidates is growing. The reasons for this problem are complex and reflect changes in the industry and job seekers' expectations. Why is this happening? Let's look at why even the largest banking organizations today are facing a talent shortage.

Changing skill requirements

The rise of digitalization is forcing banks to increasingly seek specialists with digital and analytical competencies: from working with data and AI to cybersecurity and customer experience in an online environment. However, most candidates with a traditional banking background do not have the necessary technical skills, as their experience is mainly based on traditional institutions.

Competition with financial institutions, fintech and IT

Competing technology companies may look more attractive as they offer higher career growth rates, flexible conditions and innovative tasks.

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How Long It Takes to Fill a Banking Vacancy

The most sought-after roles, however, also require a fairly high level of specific knowledge and a certain wealth of experience in the practical application of knowledge, so the period for filling such positions can be quite long. The average duration is 18 days. However, a number of top positions require even more on average - 20+ days, namely the following:

⏳ Blockchain developer – this position requires a high level of skills and abilities, so a blockchain developer, being a desirable position, also remains one of the most difficult to recruit. On average, it will take 30+ days to fill.

⏳ Cybersecurity Specialists – requires 25 days.

⏳ Digital Banking Manager – 24 days.

⏳ IT Systems Engineer – 22 days.

⏳ Fraud Analyst – 21 days.

Some banking roles are quicker to fill. For instance, the position of Customer Experience Specialist typically takes just 10 days to hire. This may be due to the fact that this job profile is broader in professional terms and specialists from other fields, except banking, can be effectively attracted.

The Hiring Problem: What Difficulties Do Recruiters Face When Filling a Vacancy?

Recruiters filling vacancies in the banking sector face a number of problems that can not only increase the time it takes to fill vacancies, but also make the overall talent search process quite problematic. Let's look at some of the main problems:

1. High requirements for candidates. In the modern banking sector, security and accuracy are of great importance. The banking sector requires high qualifications, specialized education and experience in various fields, often requires deep knowledge of ecology and regional standards, as well as international standards. The fact is that almost any mistake can be critical for the bank's operation.
2. Long multi-level selection of candidates. This should immediately leave the destination. The applicant often goes through a rigorous selection, several interview stages, as well as a security check, which provides a very large amount of information about himself and his experience. All this makes the process very complex, long and complicated, which can not only initially scare off candidates, but also lose them at the selection stages.
3. Competition for talent. Often, the banking sector intersects with the requirements of the IT sector, and banks compete with various structures. All this ensures a shortage of good personnel on the market.
4. The need to find passive candidates. Most often, the most suitable candidates in the banking sector are candidates who are not currently looking for a job or are looking, but not actively.

Fortunately, some of today's most complex tasks can be managed with the help of special artificial intelligence assistants. For example, the AI-powered platform GLOZO helps recruiters quickly match job requirements with top candidates, reducing hiring time and cutting costs. If you are faced with the task of finding a highly skilled tech talent, GLOZO will help you analyze a huge database of candidates, take into account many factors at once, and also select the best option for your case in a short time. Explore GLOZO.

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Career expectations in banking

The primary motivation for job candidates and current professionals is, of course, salary. In high competition between financial institutions, salary is quite a flexible factor. However, in addition to monetary motivation, the most successful employers also pay attention to other expectations of candidates, namely:

Vertical and horizontal career mobility

Professional growth and career advancement are important factors for many candidates and working professionals. Many expect to move from junior to middle and then to senior positions. The transition process should be known in advance and as transparent as possible. The possibility of horizontal mobility is also essential, for example, participation and development in parallel projects and in related areas.

Gaining new knowledge and mastering skills

Regular trainings, studying and using the most modern technologies in work, following the latest trends in the market, corporate training, official certification and more. All this allows the employee to develop independently, as well as increase their effectiveness in the team.

Employer Image

The prestige and status of the employer is also an important motivation for the employee. Working in well-known banks, international financial companies and large institutions is often seen as a step towards strengthening one's reputation in the professional environment. Moreover, the status of the company is associated with stability and reliability.

Flexible working conditions

Currently, after the Covid restrictions, specialists in many fields have begun to value the possibility of alternative types of employment, including a hybrid work format or a completely remote work format. Such conditions are not only convenient for the workers themselves, but are also often encouraged by modern employers.

In short, banking specialists value stability, growth, recognition and development. Motivation depends heavily on generation: for example, younger employees value flexibility and training more, while more experienced ones value stability and prestige.

Which banking positions have the greatest growth potential?

As we have found out, career growth is a very important factor for specialists. However, professional growth should also be accompanied by an increase in income. Therefore, let's consider the current situation regarding the banking sector: which positions offer the biggest jump and noticeable growth. The findings can be critical for candidates when choosing positions.

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It is important to note that the income of junior positions in the banking sector is on average higher than that of junior positions in the technical sector. That is, in banking, junior specialists initially begin their career path with slightly higher-paying conditions. You can learn more about technical specialties in our article CRITICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING TECH RECRUITMENT IN 2025. However, in the end, the growth of income in the technical sector from junior to senior positions is greater.

Some banking roles offer stronger income growth, while others offer slower growth but stability in promotions.

The following roles offer the best potential for long-term success:

🔗 Blockchain Developer - income growth from Junior to Senior position +70% on average.

A blockchain developer starts his or her career as a Junior Developer and after 1–2 years of active practice, continuous training and participation in projects, one can grow to the level of Middle Developer, where there is more responsibility for the architecture of solutions and integration with banking platforms. The next stage is Senior Developer or Tech Lead, where the developer not only writes code, but also manages the team, participates in the design of the architecture and interacts with other departments. This level can be reached in 4–6 years if you develop both technical and leadership skills. Accordingly, the salary also grows, so this position is one of the fastest growing and financially attractive.

⚖️  Risk Manager - the largest increase +83%

In the modern banking system, risk management is not just internal control, but a strategic function that affects the stability and reputation of the organization. That is why the profession of Risk Manager is becoming increasingly popular and prestigious. The career begins with the position of Junior Risk Analyst, where the specialist analyzes data, calculates risks and prepares internal reports. The career growth of a Risk Manager in a bank depends on a combination of analytical skills, regulatory expertise and the ability to think strategically. In just 5-7 years, you can take a leadership position and reach a high level of income and influence in the company. With the necessary experience, you can even reach the position of Chief Risk Officer - a top-manager responsible for the entire strategy of the bank and making decisions on an equal basis with Top-Management.

🔐 Cybersecurity Analyst - income growth from Junior to Senior position +65% on average.

With the development of digital services and the growth of cyber threats, banks are increasingly investing in information security. This makes the Cybersecurity Analyst profession one of the most in-demand and promising in the banking sector. The career growth of a Cybersecurity Analyst is also quite dynamic: in just 1-2 years, he can grow from the position of Genius to Senior, and after 3-5 years of work and with managerial or technical competencies, a specialist can grow into a Senior Analyst or Security Engineer.

🖥️ IT Systems Engineer +67%

IT Systems Engineer is a key specialist in the infrastructure of any bank. Especially in the field of digitalization and development of artificial intelligence. IT Systems Engineer in the banking sector is a stable and promising profession. In 3-5 years, you can grow to a senior engineer or architect, and in the long term - take one of the key roles in the IT structure of the bank with a high level of income and influence.

💰 Relationship Manager +67%

Relationship Manager is a career path for those who know how to build trust, think strategically and are results-oriented. In just 3-5 years, you can grow to the Senior level and earn at the level of top specialists, and in the future, take on management positions.

🔍 Fraud Analyst +84%

Although the average income level is much lower than the positions described above, Fraud Analyst nevertheless demonstrates a very high financial growth, and in general is a critically important specialist today. Fraud Analyst is a specialist in fraud detection and prevention. This profession combines elements of analytics, information security and customer service. This is a job for critically thinking and technologically savvy specialists. With active development in 3-5 years, you can move to the level of a leading expert or manager, and in the long term - take a leadership position in the field of fraud prevention.

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How Top Paying Companies Hire

The process of hiring new professionals in banking is quite labor-intensive, long, drawn-out, and multi-stage. This is all due to increased requirements for the selection of specialists, the involvement of the security service in certain stages of the selection, and multi-stage checks and interviews. To make the hiring process more efficient, leading companies today resort to optimizing business processes, mastering new recruiting tools, and automating the search. All this is simply necessary, since there is serious competition for the best candidates in the market today.

Leading institutions are optimizing their hiring processes. They shorten time-to-hire, use AI-driven screening, and prioritize candidate experience. Speed, salary, and strategy define hiring success in 2025.

How Top Paying Companies Hire Faster and Smarter:

1.  The practice of using AI in recruiting is becoming popular. Using ATS (Applicant Tracking System), automated chatbots, intelligent resume analysis, and AI-powered algorithms helps to quickly filter out irrelevant candidates and focus on strong profiles.

2.  Transition from standard interview questions to practical tasks and tests. Large companies already understand that regular standard questions do not provide the necessary understanding of candidates, so even a test immersion in practice provides much more information about a specialist. Today, banks increasingly resort to, for example, case interviews (where they give examples of stressful situations and offer candidates to solve the problem) or technical tasks. Practical skills are becoming the most important criterion in the selection of specialists than documentary evidence of education or certificates.

3.   Targeted search. Today, large banks no longer rely only on job postings; they actively search for valuable specialists on their own through special platforms and suitable sites, such as LinkedIn and GitHub. They are also helped by active monitoring of various specialized conferences, meetings, and professional forums. Today, when searching for a suitable candidate, especially a narrow-profile one, it is important to go beyond the usual resume screening and filter search.

Leading banks today build recruitment as a business process - fast, technological and quality-oriented. The focus is not only on knowledge, but also on flexibility, motivation and the ability to adapt to a rapidly changing financial environment.

What distinguishes the highest paying companies?

The banking industry has been and remains one of the most profitable sectors of the economy, the well-being of many people and countries as a whole depends on its development. Today, major financial institutions compete not only for clients, but also for the best employees, as they understand the need to be the best and the most advanced. Companies with the highest salaries and bonuses stand out for a number of common features that make them premium employers.

1. High level of financial motivation

Giants-Companies like Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and similar market leaders offer competitive base salaries, often exceeding the market average. But that's not all! Significant compensation is also hidden in bonuses, which can make up a large part of the annual income.

2. Social benefits and concern for the well-being of other parts of employees' lives

Companies with high salaries do not skimp on important benefits: they provide extended medical insurance, include visits to psychologists, have pension programs, offer access to fitness clubs, fitness centers, and hold corporate events. In general, they care about different aspects of employees' lives.

3. Caring for work-life balance

Today, companies care about preventing professional burnout, increasing efficiency, and making employees feel comfortable. For this, for example, flexible work schedules, remote work, and the ability to take academic leave are used.

4. Career growth

For employees, the opportunity for career growth is a very important factor, so large companies focus on adapting new employees, encouraging initiatives, mentoring, and most importantly, a clear and transparent career growth target.

5. Corporate culture and prestige

Working in such companies is often associated with high status. Companies actively support this and try to match their status and improve their image.

In general:

The highest-paying banks are distinguished not only by generous salaries, but also by comprehensive support for employees: from bonuses to career growth. These companies strive to create an environment in which the best talent feels valued and motivated to stay for the long time.

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Conclusion

The banking industry is confidently continuing to actively seek out talent, expand its workforce, and adopt new recruiting strategies. Banks must act quickly and effectively to attract top talent, as this is essential in a competitive marketplace.

We analyzed 70,000+ job postings and found that financial incentives are currently not enough to attract the best candidates, especially since competitive IT companies are competing for these same candidates. Therefore, the banking sector must become more flexible, loyal and adaptive.

Key findings from this report:

✅ The most in-demand specialties in the banking sector are blockchain developers, cybersecurity analysts, risk managers, IT systems engineers. Specialists with the latest technical skills in AI and information technology are increasingly in demand.

✅ Financial motivation remains one of the strongest. Income growth from junior to senior positions reaches over +80%.

✅ Career growth is also an important factor for candidates to decide on. Today, the banking industry offers a fairly transparent and dynamic model of career mobility: on average, it takes about 1-2 years with the necessary experience and diligence to get promoted to a mid-level position.

✅ Recruiting in the banking sector is a very complex, comprehensive and long process. However, it is not possible to abandon individual stages of security checks, as it is determined by high security requirements. Therefore, in order to optimize, speed up and facilitate the hiring process, modern banks are increasingly using new trendy recruitment methods. They use AI-based platforms to quickly analyze and search for candidates, expand search bases by accessing databases, use automated analysis and selection of talent.

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