By Andrew Winterbottom
LONDON (Reuters) - Weak and volatile markets and political uncertainty led firms in London's City to cut back on hiring last month, recruitment agency Astbury Marsden said on Monday.
A total of 2,788 new jobs were created in January in the British capital's financial district, down 18 percent from the same month in 2014.
The agency cited falling oil prices and the shock removal of the Swiss franc's cap as factors, saying firms also paused hiring to wait out national elections in Greece.
"There has been a huge amount for the markets and for the banks to absorb," said Adam Jackson, managing director of Astbury.
"City recruitment was gaining momentum during 2014, but with all the drama of recent weeks it is not surprising that we are seeing a slight pause."
January is usually a bumper time for new finance hires, as staff take their bonuses and switch positions for better pay and prospects. January job creation was up 156 percent on December, a dead month for new roles in any year.
A buoyant sector of the jobs market was compliance and risk, where teams have been steadily beefed up, Astbury Marsden said, as banks respond to a flurry of regulatory reforms.