In this interview we talk for a second time to a compliance recruitment expert whose experience in the field is unparalleled. David Symes, the principal of Compliance Recruitment Solutions, began as a compliance officer in the 1980s when the UK enacted the Financial Services Act. Thirty years on, he is still at the peak of his profession.

Finally, if a firm wants to hire a compliance person but has either furloughed staff elsewhere or even let them go, it might look bad. People in other parts of the bank might become resentful of its 'favouritism' towards the compliance department, even though it is a compulsory function.

Q: What about the issue of furlough?

A: At this precise moment we do not know the final revisions that HM Government is making to the furlough regime, except that it is extended to October and employers will have to start contributing from August - its formal promise is to reveal its new policy before the end of the month. Also, part-time working (currently people on furlough are banned from providing services or generating revenue for their firms, perhaps because of Government efforts to avoid fraud) might be allowed. This would be beneficial because workers find it hard to take a few weeks off (the minimum is three) and then come back to work and try to function as though nothing has happened, which is not very efficient or motivational.

Q: Can you see a recovery in the compliance job market any time soon?

A: I cannot, unless of course we have a game-changing scientific breakthrough such as a vaccine, or at least a foolproof antibody test in numbers.

* David Symes can be reached on +44 207 330 6966 or at david@compliancerecruitment.com