5 Surprising Trends in Accounting Work Right Now

As experienced accounting recruiters our team has their finger on the pulse of what’s going on in accounting hiring. Every month we put out a Recruiting Market Report that details what we’ve been hearing from clients and colleagues, but there are some surprising ongoing trends that we’d like to highlight further. Whether you are a hiring manager or a jobseeker, these are the top trends you need to be aware of as we close out 2024 and head into 2025:

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​1) Willingness to Return to The Office
During the pandemic work experts declared that in-office work was dead, and the immediate years that followed seemed to verify this declaration. There was a pervasive employee-led push for fully remote (or at least hybrid) work across the board in accounting and finance positions. However, these days, very few accounting roles are 100% remote anymore, and it’s not just due to employers demanding that accountants come back.

Among accountants, the willingness to go into the office is returning, especially among newer consultants. Employees seem to understand that there is a camaraderie and greater potential for learning that comes from working alongside others.

2) Focus on The Company, Not Just the Role
And where accountants work is not the only thing changing either – who they will work for is changing as well! These days jobseekers are paying more attention to the company than ever before.

Accounting and finance candidates are no longer simply looking at the role to ensure it fits their skillset and professional goals, they’re also taking a close look at the company to understand their mission, values, strategy, and workforce. Candidates are keenly monitoring the digital resources, external communications, and social media footprint for companies they are considering to help determine if they will be a good cultural fit. As Perry Paden explains when talking about the current state of accounting recruiting, “Candidates are looking for a well-rounded company, not just a place to go to work every day.”

3) Strict Pay Caps
With salaries on the rise year-over-year many employers are strictly capping pay even for top-notch candidates now to help control employment costs. As Joss Stokke has said in discussing the accounting hiring market,

After what seems like years of employers willingly going above their maximum base salary for the right candidate, more and more employers have been putting hard caps on their base salary. …[They] are less and less willing to go beyond that number, even for the perfect candidate who may want a bit more.

While candidates should always be prepared to ask for what they are worth in relation to their experience, they also need to understand that employers who are already offering fair pay and competitive benefits are likely not going to budge much past their initial offer. This means that rock star candidates should go into salary negotiations with less tenacity than they may have exhibited a year or so ago.

4) Lingering Ageism in Hiring
Sadly, ongoing ageism is still occurring across accounting and finance hiring. Even with the ongoing accountant shortage and overwhelming evidence that late-career candidates can provide significant benefit to an accounting team there is still a reduced willingness to consider these valuable candidates. This is something our team is actively trying to combat by educating hiring managers through resources like these:

Article: How to Stretch Your Hiring Parameters

Podcast Episode: The Value of Hiring Late-Career Professionals

Remember, late-career stage professionals can offer incredible value to an organization both in terms of their wide skillset and real-world experience as subject matter experts!

5) Slow Hiring Decision-Making
Even when employers find a candidate that fits their needs, they are still moving slowly in extending an offer. Ongoing concerns over an impending economic slowdown have companies moving slower than they should related to all aspects of hiring decisions. As our team explains, “To get top talent, you need to move faster than you used to because the best candidates are going to get multiple offers [and aren’t] going to wait.”

Whether you need to hire an accountant or you’re looking for accounting jobs, we can help! We specialize in finance and accounting recruiting, which means we have a pipeline of accountants that we can leverage to find the best candidate for your open role or help you land your dream accounting job. As accountants hiring accountants into open accounting roles, we know what we’re doing! We earn our reputation as trusted accounting recruiters one hire at a time. Don’t settle for someone less experienced – contact us today to find out more!