OUTLOOK & ANALYSIS

Amid Industry Expansion, CPA Firms Remain Cautious in Hiring

The good news: 10,700 accountants hired. The bad: profit pressure.

The U.S. tax, accounting, and bookkeeping industry added a seasonally adjusted 10,700 jobs in March, the ninth straight month of year-over-year expansion, according to CPA Trendlines sources. Women and non-exempt employees are making up the bulk of the workers returning to the industry, but not, it seems, to CPA firms, where caution seems to be continuing. At the same time, CPA Trendlines finds renewed pressure on fees and pricing while utilization rates and salaries continue to increase.

– Rick Telberg
CPA Trendlines Research

In this report:

  • Overall hiring trends
  • Women employment
  • CPA firm hiring
  • Overall trends in pricing and billing rates
  • CPA firm pricing trends
  • Tax prep pricing
  • Pricing for bookkeeping and compilation
  • Number of hours worked per week
  • Trends in wages and earnings

 

The 3% increase to 932,900 full-time equivalents from the year-ago month represents the biggest jump in a year. Still, the rise left the industry’s head count 14,100 jobs shy of the month’s record high of 946,700 in 2008.

ALL EMPLOYEES, THOUSANDS