British banks and financial services firms are preparing to significantly accelerate their recruitment efforts in 2026, with a particular focus on hiring behavioural science and psychology experts for ethical artificial intelligence roles. This strategic shift comes after one of the most challenging years for hiring within the financial sector since the 2008 global financial crisis.
Survey Reveals Ambitious Hiring Plans
According to new research from KPMG UK, approximately 55% of financial firms across the country intend to hire more staff this year. Among those planning recruitment expansions, more than half anticipate that their hiring will concentrate specifically on technology roles and capabilities.
The survey, which polled 150 leaders within UK financial services organisations, found that AI skills represent the most sought-after expertise when recruiting individuals from outside the traditional financial services background. Furthermore, 57% of firms planning boardroom-level appointments identified acquiring AI capabilities as their primary focus for the year ahead.
Shifting Focus from Technology to Human Behaviour
Leanne Allen, head of AI advisory at KPMG UK, has observed financial institutions gradually shifting their attention from purely technical aspects of artificial intelligence toward understanding how people actually interact with and utilise these systems.
"What I'm seeing is that there's a huge pressure, and this goes across all sectors, to adopt AI," Allen told the Press Association. "There are cost pressures, the need to drive efficiencies ... and there's still that fear in terms of job displacement."
She elaborated that concerns extend beyond AI potentially replacing human roles to include anxieties that employees who fail to embrace AI tools might be superseded by colleagues who do. Some organisations are even considering monitoring and measuring how extensively staff members utilise AI throughout their working days.
Growing Concerns About AI Implementation
This evolving landscape is generating fresh apprehensions for financial services providers, including major banking institutions. Potential issues include complacency among employees who are encouraged to use AI in their daily work, alongside risks associated with the potential misuse of available AI tools.
A recent incident highlighting these concerns involved an "AI hallucination" produced by Microsoft Copilot that contributed to police justifying the banning of Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans from attending a match against Aston Villa last November. The error referenced a non-existent game between Tel Aviv and West Ham in an official police report.
"Firms are definitely looking at how they can manage those more human, behavioural risks amid such incidents," Allen noted. However, she cautioned: "You can't expect a human to capture every failure of a model ... in my opinion, you shouldn't put all that pressure onto a human because of the level of anxiety which could lead to non-adoption of AI."
Ethical Leadership Roles Evolving
Karim Haji, KPMG UK's head of financial services, emphasised how artificial intelligence is fundamentally transforming recruitment strategies across the sector.
"AI is no longer just a productivity tool, it is actively shaping who firms hire and who they don't," Haji stated. "We're already seeing a rise in ethical AI leadership roles going to people with expertise in behavioural and social science, law or psychology rather than purely technical or risk-based experience. This is helping firms design AI that is not only valuable, but safe, ethical and trustworthy."
Recovery from Hiring Slump
The anticipated hiring surge in 2026 could provide welcome relief for job seekers following a particularly difficult period for financial sector recruitment. According to last month's UK jobs report from KPMG and the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), 2025 represented only the second year since 2008—alongside the pandemic year of 2020—that witnessed a decline in financial services vacancies.
This renewed focus on ethical AI expertise coincides with broader technological adoption trends across society. Separate research indicates that twice as many people now utilise artificial intelligence for holiday planning inspiration compared to just one year ago, suggesting increasingly widespread integration of AI tools into everyday decision-making processes.
