Asia-Pacific banks freeze hiring on virus fear

Big Four: Australia’s Big Four banks - ANZ, CBA, NAB and Westpac have announced various plans to help customers hit by the virus, ranging from deferred loan repayments and other hardship relief. — Reuters

PETALING JAYA: Banks in Asia-Pacific are putting the brakes on hiring, constraining growth and expansion plans, according to a an international data and analytics company GlobalData.

An analysis by the company, which tracks job trends across Asia and the banking sector, reveals that the start of March saw a spike in listed banking jobs being closed, over 1,200 in one week more than twice the more typical 500. Newly posted jobs were also down to less than 300 positions, it noted.