Thousands of Female, Chinese and Indian Workers Shattering City of London's Old Boy Networks

Recruitment firm Astbury Marsden has revealed that London's financial industry has boosted the number of women and overseas staff on its payroll in a bid to distance itself from the old boys' network image from previous years.

"Clearly the composition of the City's workforce is changing rapidly as it hires more and more of the output of the best international business schools and universities, and leaves its image as an old boys' club further and further behind," said Astbury Marsden director Adam Jackson.

Astbury Marsden, which surveyed 1,000 workers in August and September, found that women now account for nearly a third of London's total financial services workforce of nearly 520,000.

Meanwhile, Indian workers now account for 12% of City staff, while Chinese workers now account for 5%, compared to 3.8% last year. Around 70% of the London financial services workforce are white.

The survey did not include workers with disabilities.