tax shops cut 6,200 jobs

signs of a hiring slowdown? payroll agencies trim hours.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

are the heady days of hiring spikes over? maybe, but the accounting profession still scores far more positives than negatives, according to a new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 analysis.

more on jobs: tax shops cut staff by 10% | benefits, perks, and incentives: the happy-packs of employee satisfaction | steady gains in hiring at accounting firms | tax prep services slash 10,000 jobs as busy season begins | tax & accounting wages up 4% | accounting profession shows steady growth | accounting profession growing, but slowly
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new records are being set in overall staff, in payroll staff, and in bookkeeping. tax preparation services, meanwhile, continue to shed employees. and payroll agencies are cutting back on hours worked.

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

according to the latest data, the national unemployment rate is running at 3.7 percent for the third month in a row. professional and business services gained 32,000 jobs in the latest month available, and 561,000 over the year.

chart of profession employment
^ profession employment

the tax & accounting profession

employment in the overall tax and accounting profession stands at 1,015,600, down 1,400 or 0.1 percent for the month but up 28,300 or 2.9 percent for the year. those employees are working an average 35.9 hours per week, up 12 minutes or 0.6 percent for the month and 24 minutes or 1.1 percent for the year. they earn an average $33.47 per hour, down 2 cents or 0.1 percent for the month but up $1.30 or 4.0 percent for the year.

chart of overall earnings
^ overall wage earnings

staff numbers hit a new high at 763,000, up 2,300 for the month and 9,500 for the year, upticks of 0.3 percent and 1.3 percent respectively. they worked 34.2 hours, up 24 minutes or 1.2 percent for the month but down 12 minutes or 0.6 percent for the year. they made $26.14 an hour, down 6 cents or 0.2 percent for the month but up 80 cents or 3.2 percent for the year.

chart of overall earnings at cpa firms
^ overall wage earnings at cpa firms

cpa firms, all employees

cpa offices employ 489,900 people, up 1,900 or 0.4 percent for the month and 11,300 or 2.4 percent for the year – the largest increase in 14 months. they’re working 37.4 hours, up 12 minutes or 0.5 percent for the month and 1 hour or 2.7 percent for the year. they earn $36.21, down 21 cents or 0.6 percent for the month but up $1.38 or 4.0 percent for the year.

cpa firms, staff

staff at cpa firms number 351,600, down 100 or statistically flat for the month and 300 or 0.1 percent for the year. they work 36.5 hours, up 36 minutes or 1.7 percent for the month and 54 minutes or 2.5 percent for the year. they average $27.22 per hour, down 13 cents or 0.5 percent for the month but up 52 cents or 1.9 percent for the year.

tax prep

tax preparation services employ 93,800, up 2,000 or 2.2 percent for the month but down 6,200 or 6.2 percent for the year.

chart of overall payroll employment
^ overall payroll employment

payroll agencies

payroll services employ 177,300, up 1,200 or 0.7 percent for the month and 8,700 or 5.2 percent for the year. they work 34.9 hours, up 6 minutes or 0.3 percent for the month but down half an hour or 1.4 percent for the year. they make $30.09, down 35 cents or 1.1 percent for the month but up 63 cents or 2.1 percent for the year.

chart of payroll staff earnings
^ payroll staff earnings

staff in payroll agencies hit a new high of 150,600, up 1,600 or 1.1 percent for the month and 8,800 or 6.2 percent for the year. they average 34.2 hours, meeting the low mark of march 2016, down 12 minutes or 0.6 percent for the month and 1 hour 24 minutes or 3.9 percent for the year. they earn $26.57 an hour, down 37 cents or 1.4 percent for the month but up $1.18 or 4.6 percent for the year.

bookkeeping

other accounting services employ 260,200, barely a new record, up 900 or 0.3 percent for the month and 7,000 or 2.8 percent for the year.

chart of women in payroll
^ women in payroll

women

women in the profession now number 636,200, up 2,600 or 0.4 percent for the month and 16,000 or 2.6 percent for the year. they make up 297,900 of cpa firm employees, up 500 or 0.2 percent for the month and 5,600 or 1.9 percent for the year. there are 87,400 women in payroll, up 2,100 or 2.5 percent for the month and 10,400 or a stunning 13.5 percent for the year.