Comment: Barclays jobs boost for region

Oct 9 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

THERE is some good news today from one of the UK’s banks: Barclays is bucking the trend and bringing a jobs boost to Merseyside.

This is extremely heartening at a time when the rest of the financial headlines seem almost unremittingly grim.

The banking giant is to create 240 new jobs in Liverpool, recruiting 24 account consultants every month for the next 10 months.

The jobs will be based at Barclays’ site on Wavertree Technology Park, where it is launching the second of its UK-based Proactive Telephony Centres, and where more than 1,000 people already work.

The announcement by Barclays sends a clear message about the company’s confidence in planning for a brighter future. As a piece of PR, it was well-timed – coming after the Government unveiled a £400bn rescue package for Britain’s ailing banks – including the part-nationalisation of all the big High Street names.

That package was brought forward after a massive slump in bank shares on Monday.

The world of banking may be in disarray at the moment, but the Barclays announcement is a little bit of cheer amid the gloom.

It is also a great advert for Liverpool – for this is the second expansion in the city by Barclays in recent months. During the summer, it relocated its commercial banking team from Moorfields to 20 Chapel Street. Alongside that, an eight-strong team of private bankers from the Barclays Wealth division also set up stall; the first time this sector has had a presence in the city, and a move which reflects the higher number of wealthy individuals who now live in the area.

The global financial situation may not be particularly rosy, and there may be uncertain times ahead, but, by bringing new jobs to the region and consolidating its already-strong presence in Liverpool, Barclays has delivered some good news to the people and businesses of Merseyside.