Boom time for Irish profession
Ireland’s economy, the fastest growing in Europe, has brought a spin-off boom for the accountancy profession, with firms reporting that business has never been better. The average rate of growth last year among the country’s top 22 practices was 18% and salaries were up by around 10%.
According to the survey – conducted by Irish business magazine Finance among firms with a fee income of more than #1m – ‘the managing partners of the largest firms all agree that things have never been better. Their firms, they said, are benefiting from the strong economic performance of their clients.’
The survey found a keen demand for staff at all levels of experience, which explained the salary surge. But despite staff shortages in certain areas, some firms are embarking on ambitious expansion plans, it says.
Newly merged PricewaterhouseCoopers is to take on an additional 200 people this year, according to senior partner Donal O’Connor.
The firm is named in the survey as Ireland’s top fee-earning practice, generating #65m last year. KPMG is in second place, earning #52m, with Arthur Andersen, Ernst & Young and Deloitte & Touche completing the top five with fee income of around #30m. BDO Simpson Xavier saw its income rise last year by 18% to #14.5m to take sixth place.