accountants without borders: tight talent pool drives salary increases nationwide

in the war for talent, “local” cpa firms face new threats from distant, bigger rivals.

by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

the traditional business model of the so-called “local” cpa firm is being challenged anew by the emergence of a single, unified coast-to-coast talent market that’s undermining the pay differences between big-city and small-town firms.

more on jobs: where the jobs are (and what you need to get them)  |  cpa firms post 5% growth rate | how to set your firm apart to recruits
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that’s bad news for traditional firms trying to control staffing costs. but great news for a new generation of top talent.

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where the jobs are (and what you need to get them)

salaries, job openings and unemployment rates
salaries, job openings, and unemployment rates

bonus: salary ranges and top markets.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

everyone knows there are jobs to be had in the accounting profession. but exactly where are they, and how much do they pay?

more on jobs: cpa firms post 5% growth rate | how to set your firm apart to recruits
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according to new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research, the number of accounting and finance jobs available now tops 200,000. where they geographically vary by position.
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cpa firms post 5% growth rate

tax and accounting industry hits 1 million workers, capping more than 25 years of sometimes volatile expansion. shown: workforce in thousands, monthly, 1990-2016.

tax & accounting hiring trends for 2017:
join the survey, get the results 

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

it’s still a great time to be an accountant, according to new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research. but watch the long-term trends carefully. all the gains are not always what they seem at first.

more on staffing: the 16 biggest #fails in delegation |  survey results: effective stay interviews for cpa firms |  survey: work-life balance: according to whom? |  new survey results: two ways your strategic plan can reduce turnover  |  managing partners’ favorite staffing strategies  |  new research: cpa firms hiring more, paying less  |  jobs report: hiring up. wages down.  |  the 12 reasons your staff hates your firm

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year over year, cpa firm staffs are growing by 4.7 percent while payroll overall is increasing at a 4.6 percent rate. the number of tax preparation employees is falling, however, 12.5 percent for the latest month,  but up 3.2 percent for the year. women are making some large year-over-year gains as well – 4.8 percent at cpa firms and 12 percent at payroll services.

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when the inmates are running the asylum

crazy doesn’t get better by adding more crazy.

by dom cingoranelli

“we can’t really enforce this because we don’t want to risk having him (or her) quit.”

i can’t tell you how many times we hear something to this effect when we talk with cpas. we hear this at small firms and we hear it at large firms. we hear it from partners, from directors, and from managers. it doesn’t matter what size firm they’re in, nor does it matter what level or position they hold.

it’s always the same line. it reminds me of the old adage, “the inmates are running the asylum.” and, it raises the question of who actually is running the firm. who’s in charge?

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accounting firms expand at 5% rate

cpatrendlines jobs report tiltbut why is hiring up and wages down?

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

accounting employment in most sectors once again hit new highs, according to new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research.

gains over 5 percent were seen year over year in overall staff employment; cpa staff employment; women overall, at cpa firms and in payroll; payroll overall and staff numbers; and payroll staff hours. unfortunately, that last group saw their earnings swing down even more.

the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 monthly jobs report has been following a decline in wages and a simultaneous increase in headcounts, which may signal a new dynamic at play in the industry. robert fligel, president and ceo of rf resources, the leading new york cpa firm m&a broker and executive recruiter, suggests several factors may be the cause. “i think firm are hiring more lower level people, like more new college grads; more home-grown talent; and the effect of outsourcing.”

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

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five factors for measuring a partner’s value

word "goal" made up of four jigsaw puzzle piecesif there aren’t goals, what do you measure?

by august j. aquila
what makes a great partnership

in an accounting firm, profitability is generally the result of the firm’s combined talents, business management skills, internal systems and value proposition to its core clients.

more on great partnerships: how and why to achieve partner unity  | how you can get partners to change | why expectations must be defined | are you driving your best partners crazy? | 7 warning signs for your firm | the checks and balances your firm needs | don’t weed out the roses | back to basics: 25 ways to grow your practice | 3 ways to halt a poor leader | 8 questions that staff ask in a merger | 8 financial ducks to line up now
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therefore, many factors must be considered when determining the value of a partner to the firm, for example:
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new research: cpa firms hiring more, paying less

cpatrendlines jobs report tiltoverall headcounts expand as average wages decline.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the accounting profession is on a roll, at least where employment is concerned. record highs are being set for all sectors except bookkeeping, which tied may’s mark, and tax preparation, which has fallen for two months.

meanwhile, women continue to make strong gains, with year-over-year increases ranging from 6.8 to a staggering 23.8 percent. and payroll continues the same path it’s been on for months: more employees, who work longer and make less.

the rise in demand for labor while prices decline would seem to defy the laws of supply and demand.

one or more of several factors may be at play. labor supply may be suddenly expanding as new workers enter the market from the sidelines. or, cpa firms may be throttling wages in order to increase partner incomes, a key factor in potentially lubricating the m&a frenzy as partners age out. or, it could mean firms are replacing high-wage workers with new technologies and pushing more work down the pyramid, raising partner-to-staff leverage — a trend detected in other research studies. in any case, it’s a phenomonon 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 is investigating.

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

professional and business services remain one of the bright spots in u.s. employment, which rose by 161,000 in october. the sector rose 43,000 during the month and has added 542,000 jobs over the course of the year. unemployment overall was little changed at 4.9 percent.

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the two most common management styles

senior businessman with his team at officedo cpa firms need management or leadership?

by bill reeb and dominic cingoranelli

let’s start out with a straightforward question. what is the difference between management and leadership?

more on performance management: 8 ways to manage clients | the limitations of rainmakers | firms only grow when partners play their roles | the four basic parts of cpa firm partner agreements | younger partners see succession differently | how to compensate your managing partner | the job of managing partner: empowered or emasculated? | how the best managing partners turn ideas into reality
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from one point of view, leadership is far different than management.
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8 ways to manage clients

two men shaking hands across a tablethis is job 1 for the practice owner.

by bill reeb and dominic cingoranelli

whether you simply desire to improve your firm’s operations or identify and implement a new long-term strategy, you need to be clear about the role that the owners, partners or shareholders should be playing in your firm.

more on performance management: the limitations of rainmakers | different roles for different partners | how big ‘books’ hurt firms | developing a three-year vision [video] | more merger questions than you imagined | mps: how to elect them … and fire them | partners as role models: the good, bad & ugly | managing the managing partner
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to be sure, the roles and responsibilities of a cpa firm owner or owners will vary from firm to firm, based on that firm’s needs and circumstances, and you need to adapt any recommendations to fit your firm’s situation.
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the limitations of rainmakers

young man under rain-covered umbrellawhy marketing has to permeate the firm and the process.

by bill reeb and dominic cingoranelli

for most firms, new business comes in through referral. therefore, the bigger a partner’s client base, the more likely that partner will bring in new business – which simply means that the more clients a partner knows, the more referrals that partner is likely to receive (not in percentage, but in raw numbers).

more on performance management: different roles for different partners | dealing with a-d clients (you know who we mean) | how small ‘books’ hurt firms | why the partner agreement matters | merging for the wrong reasons | how to implement strategy, step by step | accountability requires clear expectations | how retirement issues affect succession planning | how partner ratings factor into equity
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other drivers of referral success are long-standing service (seniority) and position in the firm (such being one of the named or senior partners). in these cases, there is an extended opportunity for referral simply because:
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cpa salaries projected to advance 3.7% in 2017

excerpt from new robert half salary guide
excerpt from new robert half salary guide

firms jockey for best recruits.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

cpa firms should be braced to pay more and further improve their workplace offering perks to attract top talent, according to staffing firm robert half international.

the already hot market for hiring is stoked to get even more heated with rhi predicting that starting salaries for accounting and finance professionals will increase by an average 3.7 percent in 2017. that’s the second highest level of pay hikes projected for all major professional employment sectors nationwide, trailing only the white-hot technology sector, where it sees average starting pays rising 3.8 percent.

the menlo park, calif., firm warns that “competition for top talent can be fierce,” and notes that many firms are already increasing salaries and bonuses to be tops in their local market areas or business niches. “with skilled professionals in high demand and short supply, more employers are willing to negotiate compensation with potential hires,” said paul mcdonald, senior executive director at rhi.

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jobs report: hiring up. wages down.

cpatrendlines jobs report tilthourly earnings drop everywhere.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

maybe it’s the restlessness that comes with the shift from summer to fall. employment figures were up and down all over the place, according to new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research.

more on staffing and careers:  two ways your strategic plan can reduce turnover  |  the three gears that drive success in the accounting business  |  how to pay non-equity partners  |  get staff to take ownership of work  |  the 44-point staff performance evaluation checklist  |  when staff accountants don’t want to supervise  |  chris allegretti makes retention a top priority at hbk  |  randy myeroff at cohen & co.: winning the youth movement  |  how can we keep new staff longer?  |
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still, the industry as a whole hit a new high. and women are making huge gains – in accounting overall, in cpa firms and especially in payroll, where their jump from a year ago is an astonishing 16.2 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, and
  • trends concerning women in the accounting workforce.

read more →