AmEx to hire 1500 tech staff by year-end even as recession looms

Smartphone with American Express logo is seen in front of displayed stock graph in this illustration taken, July 15, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Sept 19 (Reuters) – American Express Co (AXP.N) said on Monday it is looking to hire around 1,500 people for technology roles, shrugging off fears of an economic slowdown that has prompted other U.S. financial companies to cut jobs in recent months.

The new hires would fill up roles such as data scientist, software engineer and others by the end of the year. The company has already brought in around 3,600 tech employees this year, a spokesperson for the credit card giant said in an emailed statement.

New York-based AmEx bumped up its annual revenue forecast in July, boosted by a surge in spending on travel and entertainment. Moderate inflation tends to benefit credit card companies, which charge a percentage on the dollar value of transactions as fees. read more

Fears of a recession have led other financial companies to cut expenses and trim headcount. Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) is expected to cut jobs starting as early as this month, according to a source familiar with the plans. read more

Financial technology firms like Robinhood Markets Inc (HOOD.O) and mortgage lenders including loanDepot Inc (LDI.N) have also slashed headcount this year. read more

The plans were first reported by Bloomberg News, citing an interview with AmEx’s Chief Information Officer Ravi Radhakrishnan.

As of last year, the credit card issuer had 64,000 employees – 22,000 of whom were based in the United States.

Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber

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