Bankers and financiers are ramping up plans to hire workers and invest in growth, despite concerns that the UK has not yet arranged a Brexit deal for the industry.

Employment edged down in the three months to September but the proportion of finance firms planning to increase their headcount in the coming quarter outweighed those planning to cut staff by a margin of 11pc. This is down on recent levels but still a solid expansion.

A net balance of 25pc want to spend more on training staff, matching the increase of the past three months, according to the Confederation of British Industry and PwC’s quarterly survey.

Investment in land and buildings is expected to turn positive, while a net balance of 68pc plan to increase IT spending.