Employment

What Staffing Shortage?

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Demand for new hires shows signs of weakening.

By Beth Bellor

High-quality tax, accounting, and finance talent remain in high demand, with about 33% of companies reporting open positions, according to a new study that also forecasts strong hiring demand over the next 12 months.

MORE ON JOBS: Payroll Agencies Lead Jobs Growth in the Tax & Accounting Industry | Hiring Trends: Accounting Hits 4.2% Expansion Rate | Hiring Surge Powered by Growth in Payroll Agencies | Tax Shops Cut 6,200 Jobs | Salary Survey: Top Skills Getting Top Pay
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“More than one-third of the human resources professionals and hiring managers who participated in the Q4 2019 hiring forecast survey reported unfilled jobs in accounting and finance,” according to Sagar Pandya, CPA, VP of operations at Brilliant. “This number is lower than last quarter and lower than any other quarter in the past year.”
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Payroll Agencies Lead Jobs Growth in the Tax & Accounting Industry

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“The opportunities for CPA firms only increase.”

Get more from the “Talent, Career, and Growth Strategies: Job Satisfaction and Hiring Trends Tracking Poll” 
Join the survey. Get the results.

By Beth Bellor

“It’s a good time to be a CPA,” says Brian Esko, and – with some notable exceptions – it’s hard to disagree.

The managing director and executive recruiter at Parker & Lynch and Ajilon Search points to an unemployment rate of roughly 1.5 percent for accounting, almost 300,000 new jobs created over the last 12 months and wages rising at roughly 3 percent annually.

MORE ON JOBS: Hiring Trends: Accounting Hits 4.2% Expansion Rate | Hiring Trends Flash Warning Signs of Slowdown in Tax & Accounting | CHARTS: Tax & Accounting Among Biggest Jobs Creators in U.S.
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Esko

“For a CPA, there are more opportunities than ever in the market and companies are doing a better job of rewarding and retaining their people through compensation increases and internal growth opportunities,” Esko says.

In this report, CPA Trendlines highlights:

  • Current hiring trends in each of the bookkeeping, payroll, tax and CPA segments of the industry (all data seasonally adjusted)
  • Average hourly wages for key segments
  • Typical hours worked per week
  • Trends concerning women in the accounting workforce

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Hiring Trends Flash Warning Signs of Slowdown in Tax & Accounting

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CPA firm staffing and wage growth signal weakness.

By Beth Bellor

Not only are several sectors in the tax and accounting industry charting new records in employee numbers, but wages often are up as well, according to new CPA Trendlines research.

MORE ON JOBS: CHARTS: Tax & Accounting Among Biggest Jobs Creators in U.S.
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But key indexes are flashing signs of a decelerating expansion, possibly augering a slowdown, or even cutbacks, in the months to come.

In this report, CPA Trendlines highlights:

  • Current hiring trends in each of the bookkeeping, payroll, tax and CPA segments of the industry (all data seasonally adjusted)
  • Average hourly wages for key segments
  • Typical hours worked per week
  • Trends concerning women in the accounting workforce

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Hiring Surge Powered by Growth in Payroll Agencies

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Tax & accounting industry adds 40,500 new jobs to hit new record.

CPA Trendlines Jobs Report
Who’s hiring, who’s not, and why?
Who quitting for a new job & when?
Join the survey; get the results

By Beth Bellor

Payroll is proving to a bright spot and women are making some impressive gains in our look at employment in the accounting profession. The latest CPA Trendlines Jobs Report also finds that tax preparation services employment spiked in March, even when seasonally adjusted.

MORE ON JOBS: Tax Shops Bulk Up for Big Busy Season | Jobs Report: 43,000 New Hires | Tax Shops Cut 6,200 Jobs | Tax Shops Cut Staff by 10% | Benefits, Perks, and Incentives: The Happy-Packs of Employee Satisfaction | Salary Survey: Top Skills Getting Top Pay

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In this report, CPA Trendlines highlights:

  • Current hiring trends in each of the bookkeeping, payroll, tax and CPA segments of the industry (all data seasonally adjusted)
  • Average hourly wages for key segments
  • Typical hours worked per week
  • Trends concerning women in the accounting workforce

Typically, one respondent tells the CPA Trendlines Jobs Report said she’s “Not actively looking” for a new job, “but maybe I could be persuaded.” The reason: “Not comfortable with direction firm is taking.”

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Tax Shops Bulk Up for Big Busy Season

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Wages hit new highs.

By Beth Bellor
CPA Trendlines

New hiring in the tax and accounting industry may be slowing in many areas, but the latest CPA Trendlines Jobs Report finds gains overall. Up is up and we’ll take it.

MORE ON JOBS: Jobs Report: 43,000 New Hires | Tax Shops Cut 6,200 Jobs | Salary Survey: Top Skills Getting Top Pay | Accounting Wages Set New Record | All Staffed Up? New Tax Prep Hiring Stalls on Eve of Busy Season | The Myth of the Staff Shortage
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Jobs Report: 43,000 New Hires

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Hourly pay averages $33.53, up 4%.

By Beth Bellor
CPA Trendlines

As 2019 dawns, the most stunning trends in hiring in the tax and accounting industry is in payroll services, which shows year-over-year increases of 7 percent or more in overall employment, according to an exclusive CPA Trendlines analysis. Meanwhile, tax prep continues its slow slide.

MORE ON JOBS: Tax Shops Cut 6,200 Jobs | Tax Shops Cut Staff by 10% | Benefits, Perks, and Incentives: The Happy-Packs of Employee Satisfaction | Salary Survey: Top Skills Getting Top Pay | Growth Slowdown: Tax & Accounting Hiring Rates Hit Headwinds | Steady Gains in Hiring at Accounting Firms | Accounting Wages Set New Record
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In this report, CPA Trendlines reports:

  • Current hiring trends in each of the bookkeeping, payroll, tax and CPA segments of the industry.
  • Average hourly wages for key segments
  • Typical hours worked per week
  • Trends concerning women in the accounting workforce

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Tax Shops Cut 6,200 Jobs

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Signs of a hiring slowdown? Payroll agencies trim hours.

By Beth Bellor
CPA Trendlines

Are the heady days of hiring spikes over? Maybe, but the accounting profession still scores far more positives than negatives, according to a new CPA Trendlines analysis.

MORE ON JOBS: Tax Shops Cut Staff by 10% | Benefits, Perks, and Incentives: The Happy-Packs of Employee Satisfaction | Steady Gains in Hiring at Accounting Firms | Tax Prep Services Slash 10,000 Jobs as Busy Season Begins | Tax & Accounting Wages Up 4% | Accounting Profession Shows Steady Growth | Accounting Profession Growing, But Slowly
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New records are being set in overall staff, in payroll staff, and in bookkeeping. Tax preparation services, meanwhile, continue to shed employees. And payroll agencies are cutting back on hours worked.

In this report, CPA Trendlines highlights:

  • Current hiring trends in each of the bookkeeping, payroll, tax and CPA segments of the industry.
  • Average hourly wages for key segments
  • Typical hours worked per week
  • Trends concerning women in the accounting workforce

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Tax Shops Cut Staff by 10%

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Is this any way to prepare for tax season 2019?

By Beth Bellor
CPA Trendlines

Accounting remains part of the general upturn in professional and business services employment, according to the latest data from CPA Trendlines research. Payroll remains a bright spot, especially for women, while tax prep grows ever gloomier.

MORE ON JOBS: Benefits, Perks, and Incentives: The Happy-Packs of Employee Satisfaction | Salary Survey: Top Skills Getting Top Pay | Accounting Wages Set New Record | All Staffed Up? New Tax Prep Hiring Stalls on Eve of Busy Season
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Chart of overall profession employment
^ Overall profession employment

 

In this report, CPA Trendlines highlights:

  • Current hiring trends in each of the bookkeeping, payroll, tax and CPA segments of the industry.
  • Average hourly wages for key segments
  • Typical hours worked per week
  • Trends concerning women in the accounting workforce

READ MORE →