Oxbows 2025 Compliance Hiring Forecast
What's Next for Risk, Regulation & Talent in Financial Services?
As we move deeper into 2025, the compliance and risk hiring landscape is evolving not just in volume, but in complexity, pace, and pressure.
At Oxbow Resourcing, we sit at the intersection of regulatory change and human capital. Every week, I speak to Heads of Compliance, CROs, and hiring teams across financial services and the message is clear:
- Demand is high
- Talent is selective
- Strategic hiring is more important than ever
So what should businesses be prepared for in the year ahead? Here’s Oxbow’s forecast for compliance and risk hiring.
Conduct Risk Will Stay Front and Centre
Consumer Duty hasn’t gone away it’s embedded, monitored and maturing. And that means more demand for professionals who can:
- Translate regulation into action
- Engage with product and commercial teams
- Build frameworks that drive outcomes not just paperwork
Expect continued hiring at the mid-to-senior level for conduct and culture specialists, particularly in retail-facing FS firms.
Cross-Skilled Compliance Professionals Will Win Out
We’re seeing a shift away from siloed expertise. The most in-demand risk and compliance candidates for financial services in 2025 are those who can operate at the intersection of:
- Compliance & ESG
- Risk & Technology
- Financial Crime & AI/Data Ethics
Hiring managers are looking for adaptable, curious professionals who can evolve with the business and the regulator.
Hiring Will Be Fast-Moving -But Candidates Won’t Be
The financial hiring market may be busy, but top candidates are taking their time.
They want:
- Clarity on scope and structure
- Flexibility that’s real, not performative
- Work that’s aligned with their values
Those who feel rushed, undervalued or unclear are walking away often without explanation. If your process isn’t candidate-centric, it will cost you the best people.
Interim & Contract Demand Will Surge
In a year where change and regulation are constant, interim talent for risk and compliance jobs offers agility. We’re seeing spikes in contract demand for:
- SMCR remediation
- Financial Crime/AML project support
- Consumer Duty implementation resource
This isn’t just plugging gaps for risk and compliance positions, it’s becoming a strategic move for firms who want expertise without long-term headcount pressure.
The Cost of Poor Hiring Will Keep Rising
Regulators are scrutinising culture and governance more than ever. That makes hiring the wrong person or failing to act more expensive than ever before.
In 2025, businesses need to think of recruitment as a risk mitigation tool, not an admin function. That means:
- Hiring proactively, not reactively
- Investing in quality, not just availability
- Partnering with recruiters who understand both people and regulation
Final Word: Be Ready, Be Strategic
The compliance hiring market isn’t cooling - it’s sharpening. The firms who win in 2025 will be the ones who invest in strategic recruitment, move decisively, and know what good looks like in this space.
At Oxbow Resourcing, we don’t just fill roles. We help shape risk and compliance teams that drive real impact in the financial services sector from day one.
Want to sense-check your 2025 compliance hiring plans? Let’s talk: katie@oxbowresourcing.com
For employers needing candidates
For candidates needing opportunities