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Tomorrow’s banker will need solid knowledge in three areas: IT, including fintech as 79.1 percent of the surveyed said, compliance management (58.7 percent) and the pension provision and retirement issues (46 percent).

The survey also showed that cheaper forms of «distance learning; and online training is much sought-after (58.5 percent), if maybe not exactly much-liked (15 percent).

Training Outside Working Hours

A majority (50.1 percent) of decision-makers in finance is well aware that skilled staff is of utmost importance nowadays. But the contributions toward the costs of external courses by employers seem to decline (54 percent), while training outside working hours are increasingly a reality (50.1 percent). Bank employees prefer topical seminars (44.7 percent) and appreciate informal ways of training through public speeches and conferences (41.5 percent).

Bankers see the biggest chances for their careers in the following segments: IT (67.4 percent), legal and compliance (65.8 percent), alternative investments and asset management (both at 32.7 percent). The surveyed see lower chances in back office and processing (76.9 percent), retail banking (55.6 percent) and investment banking (44.4 percent).

Reasonable Prospects

Only 2 percent of the surveyed employees estimated professional prospects in the Swiss finance industry as «very good». Some 39 percent think however that prospects are «intact» (up from 30 percent a year ago). In conclusion, a little over half of all the survey bankers would recommend university and college students to choose a job in finance.

A total of 441 people participated in the survey, with 84 percent of those male and 16 percent female. Of that total, 8 percent were between 20 and 30 years of age, 41 percent between 30 and 45, 46 percent between 45 and 60 and 5 percent above 60 years of age. 30 percent of the surveyed have a master’s degree from a university and 14 percent a master from a technical high school. 17 percent hold a federal degree. The survey is being conducted once a year.