With “Brexit” uncertainty in the air, the number of available jobs and of professionals seeking new roles in the industry were down last month, the recruiter revealed.

In May, the number of available jobs in London's financial services sector fell five per cent month-on-month to 7,695 while that of job seekers dipped two per cent to 13,454 as anticipation for the UK referendum on EU membership continued to build, according to data from Morgan McKinley.

On average, those moving from one firm to another in May secured a 23 per cent salary increase. The data shows that those in corporate governance demanded the largest salary hikes. Meanwhile, those that work in risk management, compliance or internal audit, demanded on average a 27 per cent rise in their basic salary when moving organisation.

“We still see uncertainty due to the upcoming June referendum, but we’re seeing more and more influential people from various walks of life, coming out in favour of remaining in the EU,” said Hakan Enver, operations director at Morgan McKinley Financial Services. “If the eventual result is a vote to remain, then I would definitely expect a pick-up in job numbers in the short term. 

“We saw plenty of negativity in the air in May, but this could turn very quickly, if the market perceives the referendum result as a positive one for the UK. So there’s hope and is therefore, not all doom and gloom.”

He noted, however, that the third quarter tends to be a quiet one for the job market due to it being the summer period.

Earlier this month, JP Morgan's chief executive, Jamie Dimon, warned that the bank may cut up to 4,000 jobs from its UK business if Britain votes to leave the EU on 23 June.