Growth has returned to the City legal services job market – but the total number of people employed in the sector is still below that before the financial crash, according to figures published today. 

The London Employment Survey published by lobby group TheCityUK shows the number of jobs in City legal services grew by 2.8% last year, to 106,000. This is forecast to increase to 108,400 in 2014. In 2007, the year before the banking crash, 118,800 people were employed in legal services in the City.

The number bottomed out at 95,600 in 2010, recovered strongly to 114,900 in 2011 but dipped to 103,100 in 2012. 

Overall employment in financial and related professional services in London increased by 2% in 2013 to reach the pre-crisis peak of around 688,000. Employment in the sector recovered from a small decline in the first half of 2013 to finish the year with a 13,200 gain. This was the third successive year of growth.

While forecasting further growth this year, TheCityUK said: 'There are clearly threats that could derail the recovery such as political uncertainty in the UK and EU, adverse tax policies and ill-considered sector regulation from the EU.'