Boom in accountant hires expected before end of 2013
Before the year is out 11,494 new roles are expected to be filled across profession
THE ACCOUNTANCY PROFESSION is projected to see a frenzy of appointments before the end of the year according to specialist recruitment business.
The profession is projected to fill 11,494 new roles for the last three months of the year, specialist recruiter Marks Sattin said.
A third of accountants said they expect their firm to increase headcount this year. Big Four firm EY recently announced 2,000 new jobs with the other large firms expected to follow suit shortly.
In the five years since the start of the economic downturn, accountancy has seen a net growth of about 19,000 new roles between 2008 and 2012. This equates to an 8.6% increase compared to a 0.15% decrease in employment across the country.
Two thirds of corporate finance professionals expect a pay rise this year, while total remuneration rose £14,777 between 2012 and 2013 (16.3%). The increase could be attributed to the increase in mergers & acquisitions activity which increased 128% to £4.8bn between H1 in 2013 compared to the same period last year.
Dave Way, managing director of Marks Sattin (pictured), said: “People will always need accountants – in the bad times, being able to balance the books is more important than ever and in the good times, a firm grasp of the numbers is vital when looking to expand.
“There is a growing feeling the economy has turned the corner which is great news for accountants. There are big headcount increases on the way, and opportunities for promotions and pay rises.”
Marks Sattin conducted a survey of more than 2,000 accountants around March this year.