Alex Wright
Senior Manager – Europe
I recently visited Paris to meet with clients within Professional and Financial services both old and new. I spent quite a bit of time on the Number 1 Metro line between the Champs-Elysees and La Defense, popping to the surface every so often to see the odd landmark or check emails over (incredibly strong) coffee, it was clear and encouraging that all are on a journey of significant transformation. This year, after much change there is an optimistic focus on technological advancements and a competitive talent market.
Paris is growing as a competitive financial centre, not only are traditional banking organisations creating more roles to strengthen teams and focus on market recovery, major global firms within the Insurance and FinTech industries are investing heavily in teams based here as central hubs for Europe.
Consultancy and legal organisations are adapting their approach to both hiring and retaining top talent. The “Flexibility and work life balance” mantra remains a key focus for both client and candidates alike, this is here to stay, and it is about finding the right and correct balance that measures top performance and organisational culture. This remains a tricky and challenging balance for our clients to find when hiring.
It’s no surprise to hear that AI is changing the game in HR, especially when it comes to hiring. More and more companies are using AI tools to make the recruitment process smoother for all involved, whilst this is positive there seems to be a disconnect here to the candidate experience, the latter feel that there is a loss of human connection. Although a recent Forbes study showed that 75% of candidates searching for roles utilise AI during their search, we have noticed at senior level there seems to be a reluctance to apply directly through portals or “easy apply on LinkedIn” and they prefer to work with specialist agencies, we believe that the senior HR population are nervous and uncomfortable knowing employers will be using an AI to screen rather than a human… I wonder if this anxiety will continue or will it become the norm?
Following these recent meetings in Paris, it is very positive to see real opportunity within the Financial and Professional services industries here, there is a growing focus on building adaptive workplace cultures and a growing focus to build strong HR talent across the city. There has been a steady increase in HR Business Partnering roles requiring strong HR Generalist with rigour in HR projects and talent management. As we move closer to the summer periods, and a month of vacation in August, we anticipate this steady growth in HR Business Partnering and HR Projects.
For more information, please get in touch with Alex Wright, Senior Manager specialising with the Financial and Professional services industries within Oakleaf Partnerships Europe Division.