The compliance and financial risk market remains highly active, driven by regulation and increasing scrutiny.

Demand has grown for compliance generalists, particularly at manager level, with businesses prioritising candidates who can partner effectively and advise stakeholders.

There is also increased focus on breach reporting, with organisations placing greater emphasis on identification, investigation and remediation.

In parallel, regulatory affairs capability is in demand, as organisations look to strengthen engagement with regulators and manage ongoing regulatory change.

What’s shaping hiring

The expansion of AML/CTF obligations and increased AUSTRAC scrutiny—alongside recent investigations—are pushing demand across both compliance and financial crime.

At the same time, transformation across financial crime programmes is creating demand across leadership, policy and operational roles.

What we’re seeing on the ground

Hiring remains candidate-led in key areas:

• Strong demand for both specialists and generalists, depending on organisational need
• Increased hiring across financial crime programmes, policy and operations
• Tranche 1 organisations leaning towards broader skillsets
• Tranche 2 organisations focusing on technology and operational capability

Where the market is heading

Fraud and scams will be a major focus.

The introduction of the Scams Prevention Framework is expected to drive further hiring, with increased investment beyond the major banks into mid-sized organisations.

The practical takeaway

For candidates, clarity of motivation matters. Being able to articulate why a role is of interest, as well as demonstrating alignment with the organisation, remains critical.

For hiring managers, expectations need to be realistic. In a candidate-led market, securing top talent often requires flexibility on requirements and above-market compensation.