189.000 banen weg bij banken in UK

Britain’s four biggest banks will have eliminated about 189,000 jobs by the end of this year from their peak staffing levels, bringing employment to a nine-year low amid a dearth of revenue. More cuts may follow.

Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, HSBC (HSBA) Holdings Plc, Lloyds Banking Group Plc (LLOY) and Barclays Plc (BARC) will employ about 606,000 people worldwide by the end of 2013, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That’s 24 percent below the peak of 795,000 in 2008 and the least since 2004, when they employed 594,000 globally.

The firms are under pressure from investors to reduce fixed costs as Europe’s sovereign debt crisis crimps income from investment banking as loans sour in the region. The four firms posted 108 billion pounds ($164 billion) of revenue for 2012, 13 percent less than in 2008. Costs as a proportion of revenue increased over the period.