The Attractiveness of the Profession hub is a resource center to guide professional accountancy organizations (PAOs), firms, and young professionals in trends related to the accountancy talent pipeline. The resources featured on this page speak to the opportunities and challenges associated with becoming an accounting professional in today's world. They are intended to improve the value proposition of PAOs, as well as the attractiveness of the profession, while helping address issues that are fundamental to the public interest.
Attracting And Retaining The Next Generation Of Accountants
IFAC has also developed a two-page doucment with guidance help Professional Accountancy Organizations (PAOs) and professional accountancy firms coalesce around key issues facing the global accountancy profession; to facilitate conversation and share learnings; and to encourage and support local action to drive the changes needed to ensure a vibrant future for the profession. It includes guidance on the target ages and audiences for potential accountants, methods for creating pathways to the profession, and more.
We welcome users of IFAC.org to download and use this guidance as they consider new ways to engage with potential professional accountants. The document is available in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.
To address issues critical to Attractiveness of the Profession, we've broken down the content featured here into the following categories:
Owning Our Brand & Our Narrative
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Kevin Dancey, IFAC CEO, on Opportunities for the Profession
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Dispelling false perceptions about the profession
By:Jun 28, 2023 -
How Do You Explain Professional Accounting to a 5-year-old?
March 31, 2023 | Helen Partridge, Annie Brinich -
Asmaa Resmouki, IFAC President, on the Power of Authenticity
By:Jun 14, 2023 -
Accountancy Does Not Mean ‘Boring Big Banks’
By: -
Women Take the Lead: Get to Know Accounting's Changemakers
March 7, 2023 -
Meet the CPAs who are charting innovative paths to the future
By: -
The Number of Successful Women Who Are CFOs Is Set to Rise
By: -
Meet the Trailblazing Women of the Public Sector Finance World
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Does the Accounting Profession Suffer from a Branding Issue?
February 4, 2016 | Richard Shuback, Brand Steward, Richard Shuback, LLC -
How Can SMPs Brand Themselves More Effectively?
March 1, 2016 | Richard Shuback, Brand Steward, Richard Shuback, LLC -
Flexibility & A Transparent Corporate Culture Will Help Attract Top Talent
February 23, 2018 | Lisa Simpson, Associate Director, Firm Services, AICPA
Roles & Opportunities for Today's Accountant
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Aligning the Goals of Young Professionals and Professional Accountancy
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The Five Opportunities That Make Accountancy a Passport to Meaningful Careers in the Private and Public Sectors
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Diversifying the Finance Function: How CFOs Can Meaningfully Promote DE&I
March 15, 2021 | Jeffrey C. Thomson -
Accountants Key to Business Success, Say Academics
By:MGI Midgley Snelling LLPAug 30, 2016 -
In the International Fight Against Corruption, Audit Contributes to the Success of SDGs
January 6, 2023 | Valdir Coscodai -
Why Adopting High-Quality Accountancy Standards Is Critical to Achieving the SDGs by 2030
March 2, 2020 | Alta Prinsloo -
What Skills do Financial Professionals Need to Transition to Sustainable Economies?
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How Can Your Firm Harness the Potential of Gen Z in the Workplace?
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Building Profitable Advisory Services: Specialize Your Young Talent
July 7, 2016 | Bill Reeb -
Tim Houston: ‘My CPA background allowed me to hit the ground running’
By:Sep 5, 2023
New Pathways to the Profession
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ISCA’s Expanded Pathways Provide New Avenues to Widen Membership
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Accounting Technicians: A Key Component of the Accountancy Ecosystem
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AICPA targets talent crunch with over 200 apprentices
By:Jan 2, 2024 -
Apprenticeship Pathways: An Opportunity to Widen Access into the Accountancy Profession
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The Role Accounting Technicians Can Play in the Global Accountancy Ecosystem
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This Way to CPA: AICPA-CIMA Student Resource Center
By: -
Building an Accounting Technicians Scheme in West Africa: ICAN's Experience
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The Untapped Potential of Accounting Technicians
March 21, 2022 | Brian Blood -
More than “Just” an Exam: The Positive Impact of Accounting Technicians in Sri Lanka
June 21, 2019 | Jazri Magdon Ismail, President, AAT Sri Lanka, and Sarah Gagnon, Technical Manager, IFAC -
Professional Accountants as Business Leaders and Value Partners
August 1, 2022 -
Accounting for Value Creation and Encouraging the Rise of the Chief Value Officer
November 7, 2019 | Kevin Dancey, Charles Tilley -
The Transition to a Chief Value Officer – An Opportunity for Finance and Accounting Professionals
May 3, 2023 | Bikash Prasad -
10 steps to success in an internship or graduate role
By:Aug 31, 2023
Recruiting & Hiring
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Are We Looking Beyond Hiring to Solve the Staffing Crisis?
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Accounting+ highlights the vast opportunities for accountants
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Accountancy Careers and Roles – A View from the Market
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Increasing Diversity in the Accounting Profession Pipeline
Aug 3, 2023 -
Staffing Trends During the Great Resignation
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Five Possible Incentives for Attracting Accounting Talent
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11 Tips for Hiring Remotely
By:CPA Practice AdvisorNov 12, 2020 -
MBA Careers: Accountancy Careers Go High-Tech as Auditors Expand Recruiting
By: -
Online Hiring Tools Are Changing Recruiting Techniques
By: -
Solutions for Staff Onboarding under Remote Work
Retention
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Recruit, retain, repeat: Top tips for talent
By: -
Recruiting and retaining talent in a volatile market
By:Apr 1, 2023 -
Together for the Future of the Auditing Profession – Talent and Attraction Challenges in the Danish Auditing Profession
May 30, 2023 | Ulrich Haase Nielsen -
Collaborating to Attract New Talent to the Profession: Working with Accountancy Education Directors in MENA
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Toward Gender Equality: Attracting and Retaining Female Talent in Spain’s Audit Profession
June 28, 2022 | Javier Quintana, General Manager, Instituto de Censores Jurados de Cuentas de España -
Accountancy Education Ecosystems Are Complex. Our Ability to Attract Potential Accountants Suffers.
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Flexibility & A Transparent Corporate Culture Will Help Attract Top Talent
February 23, 2018 | Lisa Simpson, Associate Director, Firm Services, AICPA -
The Importance of Financial Leadership and Culture
By:Aug 1, 2022 -
Flexible Work Arrangements Can Help CPA Firms Recruit and Retain Female Employees, AICPA Survey Finds
By:
Sustainability: Our Big Opportunity & Responsibility
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Can You See Yourself Series: A “Day in the Life” of a Sustainability Reporting Senior Manager
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The Role of Accountants in Mainstreaming Sustainability in Business
November 29, 2021 -
Episode 2: Using sustainability as an opportunity to future-proof your accounting career
By: -
Can You See Yourself Series: A “Day in the Life” of a Sustainability Reporting Senior Manager
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Sustainability Information for Small Businesses: The Opportunity for Practitioners
November 18, 2021 -
Doing Different Things: Approaching Sustainability with Confidence, and Your Existing Skillset
Enabling Power of Technology
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A Blockchain Glossary, the CPA Firm of the Future, and Excel Malware
By:Journal of AccountancyJan 31, 2022 -
Excel tips: ChatGPT and generative AI
By:May 4, 2023 -
Increase capacity with automation
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The data-driven audit: AI and automation's impact on audit and auditors' roles
By:Nov 4, 2022 -
How CPAs are leveraging technology to improve efficiency
By:Mar 16, 2023 -
Technology Skills for the Accounting Student's Toolbox
By: -
Data and the Future-Fit Accountant
May 25, 2021 | Stathis Gould -
Building Data Science and Analytics Capabilities in Finance and Accounting
September 26, 2019 | Stathis Gould -
Developing Professional Capabilities—Especially Soft Skills—In an Online Learning Environment
February 3, 2021 |Simon Hann
Attracting Talent to the Public Sector
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Global Experts on PFM Reform: Increase the Value Proposition to Attract and Retain Public Sector Talent
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Broadening the Accountancy Profession’s Reach in the Public Sector
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Meet the Trailblazing Women of the Public Sector Finance World
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A Global Guide for Professionalisation in Public Sector Finance
November 17, 2022 -
Enabling an Effective Public Sector Finance Workforce
May 31, 2022 -
The Rise of Female Accountants in the Public Sector: Saudi Arabia Case
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Public Finance Professionals and the Fight to Reduce Inequality: Where Policy and Delivery Meet
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The Role Accounting Technicians Can Play in the Global Accountancy Ecosystem
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Competency, Professionalism, and Relevance: New INTOSAI Pronouncements Supporting the Professional Development of Public Sector Auditors
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Height Of Opportunity
Jun 1, 2023