Accountancy jobs increase 11% in 2010

THE ACCOUNTANCY PROFESSION has beaten the economic downturn with job vacancies in the industry increasing 11% over the last year.

The figures from the Reed Accountancy Job Index found that the double digit rise in job opportunities was treble what the economy experienced as a whole for the period December 2009 to December 2010.

Demand for accountancy staff for the last 12 months rose 11% for pre-qualified accountants and 12% for fully qualified accountants.

Reed attributes the private sector for the increase in job roles, as public sector employment has continued to decline.

Job vacancies in the accountancy profession may have increased, however, a poll of students found seven out of ten are not confident of their job prospects in 2011.

Graduate recruitment website Milkround.com surveyed 600 students and found many were feeling the heat in January to find a job. It is the key concern for university “finalists”, according to Milkround.com spokesman Mike Barnard.

Although vacancies may have increased for accountants, salaries in the profession remain flat. Competition for roles remain high contributing to the lack of pay increases, explains Martin Warnes, MD of Reed.

“Although salaries have stayed flat, as competition for accountancy jobs remains fierce, the most recent data shows this is beginning to change,” said Warnes.

“If private sector growth continues, skills shortages will begin to appear, which would quickly start to drive salaries up for both pre-qualified and fully-qualified accountants in the year ahead.”

The Reed Job Index is based on data from reed.co.uk, which lists more than 90,000 jobs.