Cardiff, Edinburgh and Sunderland are revealed to be regional “banking hotspots”, with hundreds of new roles being created for local people by banks, according to official figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Between 2011 and 2013 the number of banking jobs in areas like Warrington, Fife and North Tyneside have also received a welcome boost, but this is in contrast to the national trend which saw the overall number of banking jobs decline by almost 28,000.  

The decline in the number banking jobs being created has sparked further concern about the contraction of the UK’s biggest export industry and the potential future effects of new reforms to banking taxation announced by the Chancellor in this year’s Budget.  

The figures also show:

Thirteen of the 30 local authority areas with the most banking jobs are in the North. Six are in London, four are in the Midlands, three are in Scotland, two are in the South West, one is in Wales and one is in the South.

Three of the ten fastest growing local authority areas for banking jobs are in Scotland: Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee.

London and the South East account for just 11 of the local authority areas with the most banking jobs.
 

Anthony Browne, the Chief Executive of the BBA, said:

“These statistics shatter the myth that banks only employ people in small corners of our biggest cities. “It is heartening to see the number of jobs growing strongly in places such as Edinburgh, Cardiff and Sunderland. But at the same time I am concerned to see reductions in some other parts of the UK. “This serves as a potent reminder that a strong banking industry is in all our interests. We should be careful to protect our banks from any moves that undermine their success and thereby their potential to create employment across our country.”
 

Towns in Scotland, the North of England and the Midlands have all become important banking hubs. Tesco Bank employs 2,200 staff in Glasgow, 1,300 in Edinburgh and 650 in Newcastle.

First Direct, part of HSBC, has a headcount of 2,600 across two sites in Leeds and on the outskirts of Glasgow. HSBC recently announced that 1,000 jobs will be transferred to Birmingham from mid-2017. This bank already has 2,500 employees in the city.

Nationwide has 5,049 staff in Swindon, making it the town’s largest employer. It also employs 2,091 people in Northampton and 682 in Bournemouth. 

There are 3,300 Santander staff in Milton Keynes, 1,800 in Bootle, 1,600 in Leicester and 1,411 in Glasgow. The same bank employs 1,200 people in Bradford and 800 in Belfast.

M&S Bank, part of HSBC, has 1,600 employees based in Chester. 

Morgan Stanley has a headcount of 1,200 in Glasgow.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch and MBNA have a combined 3,000 employees in Chester.