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The hunt for talent is still going strong, a Personiv survey of finance and accounting leaders shows.
More than 8 in 10 (83%) of the 278 finance and accounting leaders who took part in the talent-outsourcing firm’s 2024 CFO Pulse survey said there’s a shortage of accounting talent, compared with 70% who said the same in 2022 and 63% in 2020. However, only 10% of those who said there’s a talent shortage said the problem is worsening.
Respondents had an average of two open accounting roles in their organizations, with some reporting up to five openings. A quarter of respondents said they anticipate needing to hire a staff accountant in the next 12 months, and 20% said the same about senior accountants. Senior leadership said the role of staff accountant was the easiest to fill and controller was the hardest. Nine in 10 CFOs said they outsource at least some accounting functions.
Reeling them in. Survey respondents provided an array of factors they felt were crucial for luring in new accounting talent.
They most frequently named a positive company culture as an “extremely important factor” for talent recruitment, at 17%. The next-most popular factors were work-life balance (16%), recognition and appreciation (15%), and an inclusive work environment (also 15%).
Competitive salary and benefits, meanwhile, didn’t crack the top five most crucial factors. One in 10 respondents indicated it was extremely important, putting it seventh—behind career and professional development (14%) and a fully remote work environment (12%).