A survey of senior business and human resources executives found that despite the global financial crises this past year, which has seen unemployment rise, there remains a shortage of high-quality skilled professionals to fill positions in the financial services sector in Canada. As a result, business executives expressed concerned about losing business opportunities and bench strength to support operations.

The survey conducted by Watson Gardner Brown, a financial services recruitment firm in Toronto, indicates that 80 percent of respondents project either a loss of business opportunities or a lack of bench strength to support their business operations this year and into the next decade.

Employers indicate the hardest positions to fill are in the specialized areas of risk management and compliance, followed by credit management, investment finance & wealth. Forty eight percent indicate they expect the "skilled labour shortage will continue for the next couple of years."