outlook & analysis

how future-proof is the accounting profession? | accounting influencers

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next-gen talent, technology, rebranding, business models, private equity. 

accounting influencers
with rob brown

is the accounting profession facing an identity crisis? can it adapt to meet the demands of a rapidly changing business landscape? rob brown brings together a panel of industry experts to discuss the future of accounting. jeff phillips, maureen dillmore, samantha louis, and sandra wiley share their perspectives on the profession’s challenges and opportunities.

more accounting influencers with rob brown

the panelists share their thoughts on various topics, including the talent shortage, the impact of technology, the changing business model, and the need to rebrand the accounting profession.

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ai will steal your job. and that’s a good thing | accounting arc

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ai’s integration into accounting is an opportunity to elevate the profession and enhance job satisfaction.

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accounting arc
with liz mason, byron patrick, and donny shimamoto.
center for accounting transformation

few industries are poised for as dramatic a transformation as accounting in the rapidly advancing world of artificial intelligence. the latest episode of accounting arc, “ai will take your job—and that’s a good thing,” explores this impending shift, offering a fresh and optimistic perspective on ai’s role in the profession.

more accounting arc

the episode’s hosts, liz mason, cpa; byron patrick, cpa.citp, cgma; and donny shimamoto, cpa.citp, cgma; delve into the implications of ai with a bold assertion: ai will indeed take over many accounting jobs, but this is a development that should be welcomed, not feared.

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the power of community in accounting

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nine businesspeople talking at conference social hour

when you can’t figure it out on your own.

by seth fineberg
at large

accounting may have long been considered a community of professionals, yet not many have felt the true sense of what that means or have bothered to take advantage of it. moreover, there’s been no greater need to recognize and utilize community in accounting than now.

more: does firm culture still matter? | accounting needs a ‘rethink’ not a ‘rebrand’ | big change comes with deep reflection | 3 ways to raise the bar for your business | make it ‘productive season’
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as the profession moves its way through yet another point of inflection, one not likely seen for decades, the list of factors impacting how accountants work and why they do what they do is growing:

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desperate cfos are outsourcing accounting functions

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25 percent of cfos will be looking for staff accountants. personiv

can cpa firms take advantage?

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

cpa firms have long been aware of the worsening talent shortage. fewer students are majoring in accountancy. fewer are pursuing cpa certification. and baby boomer leaders of accounting firms are retiring more often than ever.

more: does firm culture still matter? | tax and accounting jobs and salaries show strength | tax law is driving practice development | olympics of outsourcing and offshoring for accountants | new study: strong and steady growth for accountant jobs and salaries | turnover timebomb: 4 of 5 senior managers at risk | are client services a fourth-rate priority? | revenues rising as pricing models evolve | 150 credit hours: helping or hindering? | can’t recruit? retain! | the accountant as a strategic business partner | report: efficiency still the top priority for accounting firms
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now financial leaders in the corporate sector are feeling the pinch. a survey issued by personnel agency personiv finds that 83 percent of senior corporate leaders recognize the accounting talent crunch, way up from 70 percent in 2022 and 63 percent in 2020. and 10 percent say the shortage is getting worse.

no surprise, then, that 90 percent of cfos who responded to the survey say they have outsourced at least some accounting functions.
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tax and accounting jobs and salaries show strength

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line chart
overall accounting profession employment hits a glitch.

hourly earnings fluctuate.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

despite a slowing increase in employment for the u.s. economy in general, the nation’s tax and accounting sector is improving on most fronts, marking more than four years of solid year-over-year gains.

more: new study: strong and steady growth for accountant jobs and salaries | more big firms shut their doors to new college grads | seven enticements to keep talent on board | payroll leads job gains in tax & accounting sector
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to be sure, tax and accounting employment nudged slightly down in july, according to the latest data available to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research. but it remains ahead of last year’s figures. and record highs are popping in key hiring segments, including staff, cpa firms and payroll services. is talk of staffing shortages overblown, or would growth be even stronger if more qualified candidates were available? read more →

tax law is driving practice development

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virtual communication, hybrid work environments still pose challenges.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

new laws and regulations now rank as the primary management challenge at accounting practices around the world, according to a report from caseware.

more: olympics of outsourcing and offshoring for accountants | new study: strong and steady growth for accountant jobs and salaries | turnover timebomb: 4 of 5 senior managers at risk | are client services a fourth-rate priority? | revenues rising as pricing models evolve | 150 credit hours: helping or hindering? | can’t recruit? retain! | the accountant as a strategic business partner | report: efficiency still the top priority for accounting firms | is tech causing both cpa shortage and low salaries? | audit firms nervous about new tech | staffing tops list of woes at cpa firms | to replenish the talent pipeline, go back to the classroom | beware the work-life/workload doom spiral
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and though the difficulty, and even impossibility, of meeting all legal requirements is a massive challenge, meeting that challenge is a driver of rapid change in the industry. this is evidenced by the second-most serious challenge, adopting new technologies – technologies directly or indirectly aimed at meeting legal requirements.
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student accounting enrollment shows third year of recovery | cornerstone

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but

new data from the national student clearinghouse research center shows a 12 percent increase in fall 2024 accounting enrollment compared to fall 2023. the increase amounted to an additional 28,672 students.

total undergraduate accounting enrollment for fall 2024 was 267,278 students, the highest accounting enrollment reported since fall 2020 (263,092 students) and just shy of the pre-pandemic fall 2019 enrollment (275,963 students).

understanding the inflection points
in number of cpa exam candidates

卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 cornerstone report

the key factors contributing to the ups and downs – mostly downs in the last three decades – of cpa exam candidates reflect broader trends in the economy, regulatory environment, and demographic landscape.

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are client services a fourth-rate priority?

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there are a few barriers hindering expansion.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

when the thomson reuters 2024 state of tax professionals survey asked 500 professionals in tax and accounting firms what their top priorities were, client services came in fourth, behind efficiency/automation, talent retention/hiring, and pricing/revenue.

more: revenues rising as pricing models evolve | 150 credit hours: helping or hindering? | can’t recruit? retain! | the accountant as a strategic business partner | report: efficiency still the top priority for accounting firms | is tech causing both cpa shortage and low salaries? | audit firms nervous about new tech | what accountants can learn from t-ball | staffing tops list of woes at cpa firms | to replenish the talent pipeline, go back to the classroom | beware the work-life/workload doom spiral | why the dry pipeline? it’s about time
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

note how the top three all might be included in a category called “getting your act together.” they basically deal with fine-tuning the accounting firm machine.

putting that machine to work aims at offering more or better client services and, the fifth priority, growing the practice.
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150 credit hours: helping or hindering?

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one study suggests there is little if any upside but plenty of downside.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

four decades ago, the american institute of cpas promulgated a rule requiring accountants to complete 150 credit hours to qualify for certification, an increase from 120 hours. basically, it required a fifth year of college education.

more: can’t recruit? retain! | the accountant as a strategic business partner | report: efficiency still the top priority for accounting firms | is tech causing both cpa shortage and low salaries? | staffing tops list of woes at cpa firms | to replenish the talent pipeline, go back to the classroom | beware the work-life/workload doom spiral | why the dry pipeline? it’s about time | whole person retention: when it’s not just the money | global trends show many dissatisfied cpas | more big firms shut their doors to new college grads | seven enticements to keep talent on board
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

state boards of accountancy had discretion over when to enact the rule. by 2015, all states and u.s. territories had adopted it.

fun fact: the national rule did not impose any requirements on what courses the students had to take. it didn’t have to be courses on tax law or accounting standards. philosophy, music theory or basket-weaving would do. state boards, however, often mandate specific course requirements.
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tax and accounting priorities shifting in turbulent times

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bar chart

three actions that firms can take.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

a multinational thomson reuters survey of tax professionals has found accounting firms shifting their priorities after a year of unexpected developments and before a year of unexpected developments.

that’s a lot of unexpected developments.

more: report: efficiency still the top priority for accounting firms | is tech causing both cpa shortage and low salaries? | staffing tops list of woes at cpa firms | why the dry pipeline? it’s about time | whole person retention: when it’s not just the money | seven enticements to keep talent on board | disruptors: talent crisis? what talent crisis? | seven steps to a stronger future
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

in 2023, the annual survey saw firms and their clients hunkering down for a year of post-covid-19 unknowns, a recession that never came, inflation that wouldn’t quit and interest rates that persisted at uncomfortable heights.

this year, it looks like firms are reassessing where they stand and where they are going. times are turbulent – technologically, economically, politically, environmentally – so recovering from the past and preparing for the future are going to require some changes.
read more →

report: efficiency still the top priority for accounting firms

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tech’s the tool, but ai? not yet.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

for the second year in a row, the thomson reuters state of tax professionals report finds that improving efficiency is the top strategy priority for accounting firms, but this year, for the first time, it ties with talent.

as the report notes, the two priorities are tightly linked in the sense that efficiency is linked to productivity. the former drives the latter.

more: is tech causing both cpa shortage and low salaries? | audit firms nervous about new tech | to replenish the talent pipeline, go back to the classroom | beware the work-life/workload doom spiral | why the dry pipeline? it’s about time | business model transformation: do it or die | whole person retention: when it’s not just the money | global trends show many dissatisfied cpas | more big firms shut their doors to new college grads | seven enticements to keep talent on board | let interns fix the staffing shortage? | disruptors: talent crisis? what talent crisis?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

the report is based on an international survey of 500 respondents, about half in the united states, with the rest in the united kingdom, canada, australia, brazil and argentina. data comes from the first quarter of 2024.
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is tech causing both cpa shortage and low salaries?

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the number of accounting degree completions from bachelor’s programs from 1994-2021. source: 2023 aicpa trends report

 

there’s a paradox going on.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

a working paper by three academics presents a paradoxical contradiction in the accounting industry. somehow, technology, which is starting to replace some accounting functions, is causing a shortage of accounting professionals. and despite the high demand for the few graduates who major in accounting, starting salaries are lower than in related professions.

more: audit firms nervous about new tech | what accountants can learn from t-ball | staffing tops list of woes at cpa firms | to replenish the talent pipeline, go back to the classroom | beware the work-life/workload doom spiral | why the dry pipeline? it’s about time | business model transformation: do it or die | misperceptions, corrections, accountancy and lemonade | whole person retention: when it’s not just the money | global trends show many dissatisfied cpas | more big firms shut their doors to new college grads
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

and in a related paradox, technology’s most powerful tools may be augmenting the accountant’s workload.

how can all this be concurrent?
read more →

accounting arc: forecasting finance & the 2034 accounting landscape

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be ready to embrace ai and blockchain innovations, the rise of boutique firms, and the surge of specialized credentials.

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accounting arc 
with donny shimamoto, liz mason, and byron patrick
center for accounting transformation

hosts byron patrick, cpa.citp, cgma; liz mason, cpa; and donny shimamoto, cpa.citp, cgma, explore the future of the accounting profession, making bold predictions about what the next decade holds. their conversation covers a wide range of topics, from technological advancements to diversity, equity, and inclusion, offering a comprehensive look at how accounting might evolve by 2034.

more: harper & co. cpas: the perspective of a non-accountant is imperative | menlo innovations: improve office culture by overhauling internal reviews | dustin wheeler: for serious cas success, hire tech teams | chase birky: overcoming paralysis by analysis |

goprocpa.com exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

one of the central themes of the discussion is the rapid pace of technological change. patrick, vice president of client success at the b3 method institute, emphasizes that technology will continue to accelerate, fundamentally altering the landscape of accounting. “technology is not slowing down, it’s accelerating exponentially,” he says. “and 10 years from now, there is going to be even more need for integrity within the technology that we are using.”

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