other options: outsourcing, m&a, even freelancers with different skill sets.
by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research
there’s no good news coming out of the talent pipeline. there are fewer accounting majors coming in at the college end, and fewer coming out at the cpa exam end.
the reasons are legion. kids these days have little interest in a career reputed to be boring and exhausting. they can make more money in some other area of finance or business. the extra credit hours take too long and cost too much.
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the 2024 thomson reuters state of tax professionals report sums it up with illustrative stats.
- 39 percent say recruitment will be “highly challenging” in 2024.
- another quarter say it will be “somewhat challenging.”
- 33 percent of firms with four or more employees say talent will be a top priority.
filling senior slots
not only is it hard to find recent grads, but it’s hard to fill senior slots with people who are already long out of the pipe. the more senior the position, the harder to find someone qualified to fill it.
and the demand is high.
- 69 percent expect to hire a senior tax professional this year.
- 69 percent expect to hire a mid-level tax pro.
- 45 percent are looking for junior tax pros.
- 27 percent (and 40 percent of small firms) are looking for administrative people.
more efficient than recruitment
on the other hand, only 10 percent say retention of existing employees will be highly challenging, and 38 percent say it won’t be much of a problem.
so it seems that retention may be more important than, easier than and more efficient than recruitment.
at least retention has a short-term solution. it’s that magic stuff called money.
the thomson reuters report finds that 49 percent of respondents are using salary increases and benefits as a retention strategy. and it’s probably money well spent. a report from the pennsylvania institute of cpas found that recruiting a single professional can cost as much as half a year’s salary. at the same time, an empty desk means less revenue.
the second most common retention strategy is to provide training and personal development, though it is planned by only 16 percent.
even less common is something that many employees prefer more than money: reduced overtime and workload. despite the popularity of easier hours on the employee side, only 10 percent on the management side plan to try it. that’s not surprising. it’s hard to reduce the workload when you can’t hire more people to share it.
filling skill gaps
with many professionals opting to relieve their workload by leaving their firm or even the profession, the best of retention efforts won’t prevent eventual skill gaps. with new hires hard to find, 49 percent of survey respondents say they are considering an increase in automation. artificial intelligence might offer solutions, but so far, it’s more potential than implementation.
another partial solution: recruiting freelance workers who aren’t necessarily educated in accounting – an option indicated by 32 percent.
almost as many – 29 percent – are considering outsourcing certain roles, either onshore or offshore.
eighteen percent might try acquiring personnel by acquiring or merging with another firm.
r&r or r&r?
and 13 percent are considering the ultimate solution to so many problems: sell the practice and find something else to do. beachcombing in the bahamas, for example, or sampling all the wines of italy. rest and relaxation might be more tempting than recruitment and retention.