outlook & analysis

what if the staffing shortage is just a myth?

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man tearing a piece of paper in half

is everything we think we know wrong?

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

for years, the accounting industry has been suffering from a chronic shortage of qualified professionals. decreasing numbers of students are majoring in accounting while increasing numbers of accountants ditch the profession in search of better pay, less stress, or just plain retirement.

more: staffing, tech, prices top tax pros’ concerns | five ways to fill the staffing gap | top 10 red flags to watch for in accounting offices | arc | deals 2024: over 100 cpa firm mergers and acquisitions | barry melancon: private equity and the partnership | gear up for growth | does your firm suffer cultural deficiencies? | audit fees continue to climb | cfos see ai as top risk and opportunity | does accounting belong in stem? | accounting arc | opportunity awaits incoming aicpa ceo | artificial intelligence may already be plateauing | ten ways to manage price increases | survey says 57% of firms are raising prices next year | how will private equity impact accounting careers?
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but what if the problem was simply about supply and demand? what if there wasn’t enough demand for accounting talent to maintain supply? two university researchers have a new theory that could upend everything we think we know about the so-called staffing shortage.

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accounting profession sees some job losses

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line chart
overall accounting profession employment

 

payroll earnings up 11 percent.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

a bit up here, a bit down there is the story for january employment figures, the most recent data available. professional and business services saw little change, total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 143,000 and the national unemployment rate ticked down to 4.0 percent.

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there are 1,144,700 people employed in the accounting profession as of january, up 600 for the month but down 9,500 or 0.8 percent for the year. they average 35 hours, down 6 minutes for the month and 1 hour or 2.8 percent for the year. they earn $42.79, up 12 cents for the month and $1.58 or 3.8 percent for the year.
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staffing, tech, prices top tax pros’ concerns

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bar chart

 

small businesses are advised to prepare for change.

join the busy season barometer. get the results

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

if you think we’re in for a year of stability and calm, you haven’t been paying attention.

whether you think the nation and the world are moving in the right direction or the wrong, one thing we can all agree on is: we’re in for some change.join the survey

more: more than 1 million erc claims still not processed | art werner: the godfather and tax issues | quick tax tip | advanced tax preparers need managing, too | the top ten problems the irs still needs to fix | tax pros gear up for a better busy season | irs processing up; payouts down | help tax clients help you | art werner: beneficial ownership and control | four challenges of managing new tax preparers | irs funding pays eye-popping 415x roi | tax season 2025 begins. ready or not. | every tax reviewer should be able to answer these ten questions
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if you need details on that, consider yourself lucky. return to your cave and go back to sleep.

on the other hand, if you’re an accountant, you need to stay awake, monitor the political-economic-financial situation and keep your clients advised. they need you now more than ever.
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what’s keeping firms from growing?

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data chart

despite ideal market, challenges obstruct expansion.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

if cpas were farmers, they’d be praising the fertile fields, the shining sun, the plentitude of rain.

to put that in terms more accounting than agricultural, the market is rife with clients, the need for accounting and tax work has never been stronger, and rainmakers have never had an easier time of seeding the clouds for showers.

more: five ways to fill the staffing gap | top 10 red flags to watch for in accounting offices | arc | deals 2024: over 100 cpa firm mergers and acquisitions | barry melancon: private equity and the partnership | gear up for growth | does your firm suffer cultural deficiencies? | audit fees continue to climb | cfos see ai as top risk and opportunity | does accounting belong in stem? | accounting arc | opportunity awaits incoming aicpa ceo | artificial intelligence may already be plateauing | regulation, geopolitical instability spark concern
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

but that doesn’t mean that growing an accounting firm is as easy as growing corn in kansas. just as firms have every chance to bring in more clients, and better clients, they find themselves needing to clear some serious obstacles before they can move ahead.
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tax pros see better year for those close to home

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young man facing image of himself

nationally … they’re not so sure.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

cpas, enrolled agents and other tax practitioners are always on the front line of the economy. with offices in tens of thousands of locations across the country, they know who’s making money and who’s struggling.

according to early results from the 2025 busy season barometer, accountants have completely reversed their 2024 predictions for the economy.

more: art werner: the godfather and tax issues | quick tax tip | advanced tax preparers need managing, too | the top ten problems the irs still needs to fix | tax pros gear up for a better busy season | irs processing up; payouts down | help tax clients help you | art werner: beneficial ownership and control | four challenges of managing new tax preparers | irs funding pays eye-popping 415x roi | tax season 2025 begins. ready or not. | every tax reviewer should be able to answer these ten questions | taxpayer advocate sees big improvements at irs | ask tax clients the right questions | major changes to circular 230: implications for tax professionals | cornerstone report
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

a mirror image

what a difference a year can make. look how the numbers have switched places, almost as if in a mirror image.
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five ways to fill the staffing gap

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bar chart

it takes more than moolah.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the 2025 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy barometer is finding that the talent shortage is one of the accounting industry’s primary concerns, and the wolters kluwer future ready accountant report confirms that the shortage of accounting professionals is expected to be a top issue over the next five years.

more: show us the money! accountants are making more | twelve years and out: seasoned accountants join the exodus | how accounting firms are handling the staff shortage
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the shortage is global, the wolters kluwer report says. around the world, 35 to 40 percent of firms identify recruitment and retention as their biggest challenge.
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irs processing up; payouts down

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data table

figures for 2024 topped those of 2023 until it came to refunds.

by beth bellor

as the 2025 busy season kicks off and we wait for the first individual income tax return reports to trickle in, let’s take a peek at how the last drips of 2024 compared to the dregs of 2023.

more: tax pros are making changes for a better busy season | irs funding pays eye-popping 415x roi | tax season 2025 begins. ready or not. | every tax reviewer should be able to answer these ten questions | art werner: corporate transparency act and fincen reporting | taxpayer advocate sees big improvements at irs | ask tax clients the right questions | major changes to circular 230: implications for tax professionals | cornerstone report | art werner: due diligence and irs enforcement | make ‘done but’ tax returns a thing of the past | six methods for getting paid faster this tax season | use humor to get tax documents in early
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

by the end of 2024, the internal revenue service had received 163.5 million returns, up 0.9 percent from the end of 2023. it had processed 163.5 million returns, up 0.3 percent, which included returns received in the prior or current year and processed in the calendar year.
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tax season 2025 begins. ready or not.

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bar chart
ready or not? more than four in ten accountants are expecting a better tax season this year than last year, with only one in six dreading worse. join the survey. get the results.

most pros will hit the ground running.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

join the survey. get the results.

ready or not, here it comes: the marathon of the tax season. the w-2s are in the mail, the k-1s shouldn’t be far behind, and the 1099s are being filed.

more: every tax reviewer should be able to answer these ten questions | art werner: corporate transparency act and fincen reporting | quick tax tip | taxpayer advocate sees big improvements at irs | ask tax clients the right questions | major changes to circular 230: implications for tax professionals
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

so far, most of america’s cpas and tax preparers are ready for the tax season and reasonably optimistic about this year’s revenues.

according to early results to the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season barometer, 44 percent of respondents are better prepared than they were last year, and almost as many are in about the same position as last year. only 14 percent say they’re less ready than last year, with a mere 3 percent much less ready. fifteen percent are “much better” prepared.

but that was before a trump-ordered government-wide hiring freeze and new threats of over $20 billion in budget cuts.

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show us the money! accountants are making more

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young woman holding giant dollar sign in modern office

want to retain employees? here’s one way.

by beth bellor

more money. that’s what the latest data show for the accounting profession.

the final jobs report of 2024 saw the accounting profession’s numbers slip a bit, but the bodies in those seats were pulling down record earnings. employees in the profession overall, at cpa firms and non-staff in payroll services saw their highest hourly wages ever.

more: survey says 57% of firms are raising prices next year | how accounting firms are handling the staff shortage | more big firms shut their doors to new college grads | seven enticements to keep talent on board | despite staffing crunch, firms freeze pay raises
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and about time! we heard the call for better compensation in the most recent rosenberg national survey of cpa firm statistics.
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kimberly ellison-taylor: talent is key to growth | gear up for growth

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“we have to tell a better story, but we also have to have a better story to tell.”

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gear up for growth
with jean caragher
for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

a powerhouse in the accounting profession, kimberly ellison-taylor, cpa, cgma, citp, cisa, the ceo of ket solutions, shares her deep insights on talent recruitment and retention, inclusive leadership, and the evolving role of cpas in a rapidly changing world.

gear up for growth spotlights the best strategies for smart and efficient growth in today’s competitive landscape. more gear up for growth every friday here | more capstone conversations with jean caragher every monday | more jean caragher here | get her best-selling handbook, the 90-day marketing plan for cpa firms, here | more 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 videos and podcasts here

ellison-taylor’s journey into the accounting profession began earlier than most. she recalls a pivotal career day in third grade when she learned that “accountants manage the money.” this revelation not only sparked her initial interest but also set her on a path to becoming one of the most recognized leaders in the profession, including serving as chairman of both the maryland association of cpas and the aicpa. her story is a testament to the power of early inspiration and leadership support.

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