For AI investments to create returns, banks need to acquire the right talent to help manage these technologies. Financial services employers are now racing to attract talent with digital skills in areas such as Agentic and Responsible AI, as well as advanced data analytics. According to the Evident AI Index, one in 50 banking professionals globally now works in AI or data-related roles, marking a shift toward intelligence-led capabilities. In the U.S. specifically, the financial services industry saw a 99% increase in employment in Computer and Information Systems Managers and 98% in Business Operations Specialists from 2019 to 2025. Conversely, operational roles in finance like office clerks, bookkeepers, loan officers and tellers declined due to automation and workflow redesign.

These trends show no sign of slowing. According to The World Economic Forum’s 2025 Future of Jobs report, 95% of financial services employers identified skills in AI and Big Data to be growing in importance for their workforce, leading 71% of financial institutions to making investments in upskilling employees to prepare for AI transformation. Lloyds Banking Group, for example, has partnered with Cambridge University to send more than 200 senior bankers to an 80-hour “AI bootcamp.” To continue succeeding with talent, financial institutions will need to create a workplace in which tech talent can thrive.