in the u.s., tax and accounting firms are adding jobs at a robust 7% rate, but that’s still short of what’s needed.
by beth bellor
from arizona to zimbabwe, and dublin to cinncinatti, tax and accounting firms are telling 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 that they are so short of staff they’re turning away new business.
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the scramble for talent is global and it’s forcing fundamental changes in how accountants do business.
reports are coming into 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 from around the world and they are dismally similar:
- tucson, ariz.: at r&a cpas, chief recruiter nancy allison says they’re turning to “hiring fully remote employees, making fully remote and hybrid work permanent for existing team members, and utilizing outsourced services for tax preparation assistance.”
- marondera, zimbabwe: accountancy consultant billy ndlovu tells 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 they are turning away new clients even as they battle the covid upheavals that are “changing how we do things.”
- dublin, ireland: anthony casey at noone casey is staying ahead of the curve by finding productivity gains in remote working and picking up new staffers with specialty skills.
- cincinnatti: back in the u.s., rick kruse at kruse & crawford is turning to new technology even as they trim their headcount.
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 polling shows about 64 percent of firms are seeking to add additional staffers, even as 60 percent of firms are turning away new work due to the crippling shortage of new hands.
dare we say it? but nine months into a miserable, unpredictable year, and rosters in the accounting profession have remained above 1 million the entire time. knock on wood, or whatever the managing partner’s desk is made of.
2020’s valley followed by 2021’s recovery-in-progress means double-digit jobs increases are showing up in several sectors, including payroll services – overall, staff and women – and bookkeeping,
nationally, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 194,000 in september, according to the latest data from 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research. the unemployment rate ticked down 0.4 percentage point to 4.8 percent and the number of unemployed people decreased by 710,000 to 7.7 million. though both measures are well down from their highs at the end of the february-april 2020 recession, they are above their pre-covid-19 levels in february 2020 of 3.5 percent and 5.7 million, respectively.
professional and business services added 60,000 jobs in september, but remained 385,000 below its level in february 2020.
u.s. accounting profession employment stood at 1,065,500 in september, up 300 or statistically flat for the month and 71,900 or 7.2 percent for the year.
ok, 7.2 sounds robust, but up from what and why? for those curious about pandemic effects, profession employment was 1,024,500 in september 2019 and 993,600 in september 2020, so the current mark is up 4 percent from where we were two years ago. still respectable, yes?
employees worked an average 36.1 hours per week, down 6 minutes or 0.3 percent for the month and year. they averaged $37.46 per hour, a new high, up 41 cents or 1.1 percent for the month and $1.97 or 5.6 percent year over year.
staff
staff in the profession numbered 781,500, up 2,700 or 0.3 percent for the month and 54,200 or 7.5 percent for the year. they worked 34.4 hours, down half an hour or 1.4 percent for the month and 12 minutes or 0.6 percent for the year. their earnings topped $29 for the first time at $29.20, up 26 cents or 0.9 percent for the month and $1.56 or 5.6 percent for the year.
cpa firms
cpa firms employed 502,100, down 2,100 or 0.4 percent for the month but up 17,800 or 3.7 percent for the year. weekly hours averaged 37.1, down 6 minutes or 0.3 percent for the month and 24 minutes or 1.1 percent for the year. hourly earnings topped $39 for the first time at $39.08, up 79 cents or 2.1 percent for the month and $1.58 or 4.2 percent for the year.
staff at cpa firms numbered 345,000, down 3,800 or 1.1 percent for the month but up 9,000 or 2.7 percent for the year. they worked 35.1 hours per week, down 36 minutes or 1.7 percent for the month and 1 hour 24 minutes or 3.8 percent for the year. they made $30.49 an hour, up 69 cents or 2.3 percent for the month and $1.13 or 3.8 percent for the year.
tax preparation services
tax prep employed 101,100, down 300 or 0.3 percent for the month but up 1,500 or 1.5 percent for the year.
payroll services
payroll services employed 180,900, up 3,600 or 2 percent for the month and 29,000 or 19.1 percent for the year. yes, you read that correctly, 19.1 percent. in 2019, employment was 174,000, then in 2020 it plummeted 12.7 percent to 151,900. the increase from the pre-pandemic figure two years ago is 4 percent.
employees averaged 36.6 weekly hours, down 18 minutes or 0.8 percent for the month and 1 hour 18 minutes or 3.4 percent for the year. earnings at $39.16 were down 4 cents or 0.1 percent for the month, but up $2.85 or 7.8 percent for the year.
staff in payroll numbered 150,200, up 4,500 or 3.1 percent for the month and 20,800 or 16.1 percent for the year. they worked 37.6 hours, down 24 minutes or 1.1 percent for the month and half an hour or 1.3 percent for the year. they made $30.82 per hour – following last month’s $3.61 spike to a new high – down by $1 or 3.1 percent for the month but up $1.89 or 6.5 percent for the year.
bookkeeping
other accounting services employed 279,200, up 2,200 or 0.8 percent for the month and 25,800 or 10.2 percent for the year.
women
women overall numbered 671,300, down from the may high but still up 700 or 0.1 percent for the month and 35,500 or 5.6 percent for the year. at cpa firms they totaled 306,700, down 3,800 or 1.2 percent for the month but up 5,900 or 2 percent for the year. women in payroll services at 89,100 were up 1,100 or 1.3 percent for the month and 9,700 or 12.2 percent for the year.