records set in several segments.
by beth bellor
with year-end employment figures in, it remains a great time to be an accountant.
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by the numbers
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 (all data seasonally adjusted)
- average hourly wages for key segments
- typical hours worked per week
- trends concerning women in the accounting workforce
as we’ve seen so often, payroll services are strong, and employees should be happy – hourly earnings set new highs both overall and for staff.
women continue to make huge gains, although it could be argued that they’re just making up for lost time.
in december, the national unemployment rate held at 3.5 percent, down from 3.9 percent one year earlier. the number of unemployed people over the same period decreased from 6.3 million to 5.8 million.
professional and business services added 10,000 employees. throughout 2019 the segment added 397,000 jobs, down from the 2018 increase of 561,000.
the accounting profession closed out 2019 in good health, with december employment hitting a record high of 1,071,400, up 4,600 or 0.4 percent for the month and 37,100 or 3.6 percent for the year. that’s slightly down from the previous year, as growth from 2017 to 2018 was 4 percent.
employees averaged 36.1 hours a week, up 6 minutes or 0.3 percent for both the month and year. they earned a just-barely-highest-ever $34.79 an hour, up 2 cents or 0.1 percent for the month and $1.11 or 3.3 percent for the year.
staff levels dropped to 796,100, down 3,000 or 0.4 percent for the month but up 25,200 or 3.3 percent for the year. they averaged 33.8 hours for the third straight month, down 18 minutes or 0.9 percent for the year. earnings ticked up slightly to a new high of $27.63, up 9 cents or 0.3 percent for the month and $1.34 or 5.1 percent for the year.
cpa firms
cpa firms employed 498,000, flat for the month and up 14,500 or 3 percent for the year. workers put in 37.2 hours, up 6 minutes or 0.3 percent for the month but down 12 minutes or 0.5 percent for the year. their earnings dropped to $36.68, down 17 cents or 0.5 percent for the month but up 56 cents or 1.6 percent for the year.
staff in cpa firms numbered 355,400, down 500 or 0.1 percent for the month but up 6,700 or 1.9 percent for the year. they averaged 35.6 hours, up 12 minutes or 0.6 percent for the month but down half an hour or 1.7 percent for the year. they made $28.40 an hour, down 15 cents or 0.5 percent for the month but up $1.20 or 4.4 percent for the year.
tax preparation services
tax prep employment fell to 101,300, down 6,100 or 5.7 percent for the month but up 1,400 or 1.4 percent for the year.
payroll services
payroll services employed 196,700, a new high and up 1,500 or 0.8 percent for the month and 13,700 or 7.5 percent for the year. they averaged 36.4 hours, up 12 minutes or 0.6 percent for the month and 1 hour 42 minutes or 4.9 percent for the year. earnings broke $33 for the first time and landed at $33.32, up 61 cents or 1.9 percent for the month and $3.24 or 10.8 percent for the year.
payroll staff numbered 165,200, up 1,700 or 1 percent for the month and 10,800 or 7 percent for the year. they worked 35.1 hours, down 12 minutes or 0.6 percent for the month but up 42 minutes or 2 percent for the year. they topped $29 for the first time to make $29.16 an hour, up 53 cents or 1.9 percent for the month and $2.59 or 9.7 percent for the year.
bookkeeping
other accounting services employed 266,600, down 300 or 0.1 percent for the month but up 5,600 or 2.1 percent for the year.
women
women in the profession numbered 683,600, a new record, up 1,200 or 0.2 percent for the month and 39,800 or 6.2 percent for the year. in cpa firms the figure was 309,900, a new high by 300 or 0.1 percent for the month and 14,700 or 5 percent for the year. the pattern followed in payroll services, a new record of 102,400 that was up 700 or 0.7 percent for the month and 9,300 or 10 percent for the year.