accounting employment creeps back up

the pattern is there’s no pattern.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

the wild swings of 2016 are behind us, as employment and compensation figures fluctuate but within mellow ranges, according to a new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 analysis.

more on jobs: where the jobs are (and what you need to get them) | tax & accounting industry shows signs of slowdown | cpa firms post 5% growth rate | how to set your firm apart to recruits
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high points year over year were tax prep at 3.6 percent, payroll at 4.3 percent, and women in payroll at 5.3 percent.

in this report, 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 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

the u.s. economy overall added 98,000 jobs, including 56,000 in the professional and business services supersector. the unemployment rate dipped to 4.5 percent.

 
chart showing overall profession employment
^ overall profession employment

all employees

profession employment took a small uptick after three months of slight declines, registering in march at 994,800. the 1,200-person monthly gain is up 0.1 percent. year over year the increase was 26,300 or 2.7 percent.

average weekly hours dipped to 35.4, down 24 minutes or 1.1 percent for the month, and 6 minutes or 0.3 percent for the year.

earnings, however, went the opposite way to $31.51: up 17 cents or 0.5 percent for the month, and 41 cents or 1.3 percent for the year.

staff

staff number 751,500, up 7,000 or 0.9 percent for the month after three months of 6,000-plus decreases. year over year the increase is 13,700 or 1.9 percent. hours worked per week average 34.1 for the third straight month, down for the year by 18 minutes or 0.9 percent. hourly earnings at $24.53 are up 7 cents or 0.3 percent for the month but down 5 cents or 0.2 percent for the year.

cpa firms, all employees

cpa offices employ 472,500, up 700 for the month and 9,300 for the year, respective gains of 0.1 and 2 percent. those workers average 36.7 hours per week, up 6 minutes or 0.3 percent for the month but down 18 minutes or 0.8 percent for the year. they earn $34.25 an hour, up 23 cents for the month but down the same amount for the year, a difference of 0.7 percent each way.

cpa firms, staff

staff at cpa offices number 348,100, up 1,800 for the month and 14,900 for the year, up 0.5 and 4.5 percent respectively. they work 36 hours a week, up 48 minutes or 2.3 percent for the month and 24 minutes or 1.1 percent for the year, and earn $26.31 an hour, up 6 cents or 0.2 percent for the month but down 15 cents or 0.6 percent for the year.

chart of tax prep hiring trends
^ tax preparation services, year over year

tax prep

tax preparation services fell below 100,000 for the first time since april 2016, dropping to 99,500 – down 1,100 or 1.1 percent for the month but up 3,500 or 3.6 percent for the year.

payroll agencies

payroll services declined to 168,900, down 2,300 or 1.3 percent for the month but up 7,000 or 4.3 percent for the year. those employees work an average 34.9 hours per week, down 48 minutes for the month and 24 minutes for the year, respective drops of 2.2 and 1.1 percent. they make $29.87 an hour, down 4 cents or 0.1 percent for the month and 96 cents or 3.1 percent for the year.

staff in payroll number 143,100, down 2,100 or 1.4 percent for the month but up 4,700 or 3.4 percent for the year. they average 34.7 hours per week, flat for the month and up 18 minutes or 0.9 percent for the year. after briefly ticking above $25 their earnings fell to $24.70, down 46 cents or 1.8 percent for the month and 73 cents or 2.9 percent for the year.

bookkeeping

other accounting services employ 253,600, up 200 or 0.1 percent for the month and 1,100 or 0.4 percent for the year.

women

women now make up 614,800 of the profession’s employees, up 8,100 or 1.3 percent for the month and 11,600 or 1.9 percent for the year. women at cpa firms number 289,500, up 600 or 0.2 percent for the month and 9,000 or 3.2 percent for the year. payroll services employ 79,600 women, down 800 or 1 percent for the month but up 4,000 or 5.3 percent for the year.