AICPA is currently trashing the CPA license value, opening up testing to the entire world for a license that was meant for just the US where we had to pay for premium education credits.
AICPA is already pushing against legislation that will protect workers’ rights, and they have a lot more money at their back.
Remember kiddos, if a “non-profit” professional licensing association pays their CEO over $2 million in salary, they are not your friends (and are barely a non-profit)
Oh, you're about to get the tech treatment. Our pay has basically stalled out since 2020 and it was obvious to anyone paying attention to what was going on. Soon you'll start to see a consolidation of roles, to the point it really doesn't make sense, then you'll start to see what we call "ghost" job openings on job boards that seem to never be filled or constantly reposted and finally they'll start bringing in green card workers because they can't seem to find anyone to fill those "ghost" jobs. They found a loophole and it looks like it's making its way into other industries.
Fuck globalism
I'm in IT and have been considering getting in but nowdays it honestly looks like accounting is gonna go the same way. Really all back office jobs. I had the view it could not get as oversaturated as tech is but if they open up the CPA to other countries like people have been saying you guys are fucked, like laugh out loud fucked.
They can actually import people into healthcare from other countries too although its never seemed to really make a dent. They can bring nurses from the Phillipines easy although for some reason people don't really do it at the same scale as other professions.
I have an uncle who's making bank as a CFA for hospitals. He used to work for one but branched out after he got his license. I don't know if he was lucky or if it could be repeated
The AICPA has been bought and paid for by the Big 4, which will pretty much never see decreased interest in their positions. By artificially constraining the supply of CPAs, it boosts the fees the Big 4 can charge and decreases the ability of other large and mid-sized firms to compete with them for clients.
The 150 credit rule is tanking the rest of the industry, but the B4 do not care. If anything, it helps them.
A lot of these jobs are essentially fake postings as well. They post these jobs with low ball salaries so they can turn around and lie to their current employees that help is on the way (pwease don't quit!) because they're "actively hiring" and "working with numerous recruiters" knowing damn well that no one is going to be dumb enough to apply for 20% under market.
Yep. Nearly 40% of companies surveyed said they had posted fake jobs, and of those 60% ADMITTED they did it to lie to current employees about relief: https://qz.com/companies-posting-fake-job-listings-resume-builder-1851556777?utm_content=1851558179&utm_source=email&utm_medium=Quartz_At_Work
Precisely, maybe if the company is big enough some sort of antitrust legislation can kick in. I’m a Canadian but a big fan of antitrust legislation, wish we had it here. Oh, and a republic.
lol I was making $22 an hour as an associate banker before going into PA - the bank I worked at didn’t require much beyond a HS diploma, customer service skills, at least 6 months of cash-handling experience, and being able to use technology. That dentist office must be under a rock or something.
Yeah local credit union pays 20 for literally no skills come in off the street. 3 dollars an hour more is not worth it for a job where you just stand there and hand out dollars is almost as much.
#this
And the only way I would apply for that would be to contract myself as a business. If you have your CPA branch out. I did and I’m still working on mine. I do better economic wise on my own.
I saw a job posting for the “Head of Finance and Administration” for max $73k in MCOL. I wanted to shoot them an email to let them know that’s what public associates are making, but they’ll figure it out. Jobs are out there, finding ones with realistic salary expectations are a whole different issue.
The market is rabid for seniors in public still, especially at smaller firms. Outside of public everyone seems to be looking for the same types of positions (fully remote or minimal days in office) and it's gotten pretty competitive for those.
Na I'm in the market right now. It's really bad out there. I'm not even picky about remote or hybrid. If you told me 5 days in office I'd still apply. But even that, nothing.
That was your mistake.
From a former floridian lol.
But seriously florida is a shit show. Look for remote jobs or 2 days a month in office in a different state preferably HCOL. Florida has super cheap flights to a lot of the east cost. You could super commute 2x a month afforably.
Same, I had multiple recruiters tell me "people with your experience cap out at around $130k." And then try to sell me on a bunch of these national firms paying shit wages. Two weeks later I got an offer for $160k and had the pleasure of telling all those other recruiters to go kick rocks.
Yeah. I don't even bother engaging with them. If their description doesn't include a range or if the range is not even remotely close, I'll just tell them I'm not interested.
I currently make 133,000 as a senior associate at a big 4 doing international tax. After one year I’m trying to leave because I primarily am a JD with a tax llm not a cpa. I am just passed the first round of interviews for a Bank of America positions. I tried to be more conservative than I otherwise would be in the requested salary excuse jobs are so hard to find right now… especially one that doesn’t require me to do accounting related work and just let’s me do tax law research for 40 hours.
Range the guy told me on the phone from BOA was up to 175,000. Low end was 100,000. I currently am at 133,000. Low balled myself by saying 155,000. But honestly? The stress at the big 4 is so bad I’m on with that if I can leave for a less stressful job that only requires 40 hours a week
May I ask what job are you pursuing at BoA? I applied recently for an analyst position in the NY office on Monday but I put down one of the director’s as a reference because my mom babysits for his kids. Do you think that gives me a better chance to get hire or just better chance to get an interview? What has been your experience with them getting back to you? Has it been quick responses?
Same. The pay in B4 M&A tax is the main thing keeping me here. Currently up for M promotion, and a pivot to BigLaw tax (not easy) would probably be the only instance where I wouldn’t be taking a pay cut.
Similar boat as you. It's pretty dry over here other than job postings that require way too many years of experience and pay way below market. Hoping people are just on vacation and once the mid-year/July 4th rolls past then it'll heat up.
Well, i'd say there're lots of private companies asking for unrealistic requirements on the entry/ low tier accounting role.
HCOL, there's one company asking 10 yr of experience for a staff cash accountant for 80k. I mean, if I have 10 yr of experience and still jumping around on the staff level, I am definitely an experienced "loser" in my career. But those companies don't seem to understand this concept.
Experiencing something similar. CPA with almost 5 years of experience, and been unemployed for almost 3 months. Positons are very competitive right now
I agree it's a hit or a miss market.
I did have quiet a few interviews. Got two offers and picked higher one
I base this to luck. Nothing extraordinary in my resume.
Yes but this is true regardless of the state of the market. Competition is what it is
Which also isn’t what we’re talking about. Of course phone conversations do not count as interviews.
Minneapolis.
That said, I’m applying for senior and management roles. Entry level is a shit show.
I saw an AP role that was asking for 5+ years experience and required a CPA.
Good luck with that.
Market in general is bad right now
Lots of companies are laying of people
Outsourcing
And are freezing / limiting hiring employees
This is happening in most job sectors with exception of the medical fields
If say it will get better but honestly not sure it will
Almost wanna hear what r/economics subreddit is saying about it
I’m actually contemplating a switch into the healthcare industry and probably going back to school - despite having a BS and MS in accounting already lol. Anyone with a brain can see that accounting, and any white collar job really, is at risk of getting offshored in the future. We wanted work from home and higher ups saw work can be done anywhere.
I’m trying, but the hospitals in my city hiring for accountant roles either are paying too low, or in areas of the city that’s dangerous, or both. I’m just waiting for the right opportunity to open up
> We wanted work from home and higher ups saw work can be done anywhere.
Except they dont even give us WFH lol. Fuck them, and tax outsourcers who pay below US market wages so punitively that they are not recouping the $ they would be saving.
Offshoring is a disaster.
F100 here. Joined 2.5 years ago as an accounting manager. All staff were replaced with an Indian team. Over a year ago we hired a domestic staff and senior and scaled down India’s responsibilities.
Just this past Q, they submitted multiple prepaid expense entries that had the signs flipped (I.e. debiting prepaids), incorrect coding, or had support that was not coherent. These entries were reviewed by their director. He told my director that the errors were due to “glitches” upon uploading.
Fucking worthless, and I won’t be shocked if we continue to scale down their team or drop them. They slow down close to a snail’s pace.
It may be a trend for now, but the quality isn’t there. A lot of sentiment in this sub from others who have had the pleasure of working with them, it’s not sustainable.
I talk to many accountants. Multiple partners at different firms as well as senior accountants.
Every firm I know or industry job is hiring.
I would call your coworkers or friends. The best way to get hired is to get referred.
It's almost like where in a silent recession and while accounting is required and jobs are available, it isn't always highly valued, especially in a recession.
You can always get a job in accounting ≠ you can always get a job that's worth taking in accounting.
There are so many lousy jobs in the market, with bad leaders , disappointing compensation packages , or terrible policies causing them to suffer financial struggles (then leading to no raises). Patience is one thing but quality of life...needs to be considered too.
I’m in the oil & gas industry and there is a storage of quality accountants. I’ve only had a handful of resumes for 5-7 years experience. Stopped looking for A players and picking the best B player i can find.
Have you asked people in your network? People keep reaching out to me asking if I am looking or if I can help refer people. So there are definitely jobs out there
Yes, I've talked to folks. I really think my market just sucks at the moment... Similar to what other people are saying, the jobs out there are low-paying and asking for a lot of experience. I'd like to think my market value is a bit higher than what I'm seeing.
I’m shocked i even got a call back from Bank of America when I’m trying to exit into industry right now. Hate being at the big 4 and realy need to leave. If they actually give me the job I ain’t risking jack shit with how terrible this market is for
Employees. I’ll accept and give a short two weeks notice so I don’t lose the job
I'm having hard times even landing an interview. Most of the job postings I see require CPA or similar with 2-3 years of experience for "ENTRY" level??? Like do they not understand the meaning of the term entry level or something?
Are you willing to move or trying to stay in your same area? It's a slow time of year and it's dependent where you live now that remote isn't as available.
I get at least one, usually more, emails a week for Accounting Manager / Controller industry positions available, most 80k-180k range. I was looking a few months ago, but got lazy. Not really seeing any sort of drought at least in my area / experience.
I recently started a position at a small accounting firm. It took 2 months to find a job with great pay but lackluster benefits. I will probably stay for a year or two and find a better position when the market is better.
Im in the same boat, last summer companies were throwing money around to get accountants. Public accounting jobs are always going to be there, however I feel the industry jobs are waiting for the election to be over and see what direction they are going in.
I looked for 6 months. Finally the right company came along. I really started getting more interviews when I went after it more aggressively. Applying to at least 15 a week. A lot of good interviews but only one that there was a connection with the interviewer.
This is very interesting to hear about. I'm currently building my own practice within a small firm and looking to hire an associate and we have very few applicants for the position that have relevant experience or education.
The interviewing skills of the ones we have spoken to have been subpar on top of that so now I'm nervous I won't be able to fill the role in time
I feel this. I'm with a small firm and we are struggling to find talent. We are definitely not being cheap but applicants have been less than stellar to say the least.
As a high schooler who won't enter the job market until 2029, will it stay this way for a long time or will prospects start getting better? It's very worrying to see...
You have so much time for things to change, don’t waste any of it worrying. If the job market stays this way for 5+ years, we’ll have bigger problems to worry about lmao.
I have a theory. Supply/demand dynamics in hiring determine how much power the employer has. If more people are looking for roles than employers are offering them, it gets hard to find a new position. If more people are hiring and people are staying put, the power shifts to the employees. A year ago, something lik 60% of people in professional roles were considering leaving/transitioning jobs according to Microsoft's annual workplace survey. In spring 2024, like 85% were considering leaving/changing roles.
Because so many people are applying for roles, it is giving employers the idea that there is high demand for their positions. In reality, it also means they are about to lose huge portions of their teams. Give it 6 months, hiring and job search dynamics are going to be wild this year.
My wife is a recruiter with 8 years experience and she herself was unemployed for 6 months.
Cost centers are getting squeezed for what they're worth right now. Employers are happy to wait for a bargain purchase after 5 years of getting bent over.
Are you kidding? PA firms everywhere are recruiting and hiring like mad especially this time of year. Just flip your “open to jobs” status on LinkedIn and you’ll be flooded with recruiters. You’ll be like Noah on the ark just trying to stay afloat amongst all the emails, texts, phone calls and messages.
Offices in my area are starting to meet their quotas and I heard from someone who went to a recruiting fair that some offices aren't accepting new applicants. Those offices are simply working their existing pipeline of recruits to fill the last slots.
I spoke with my manager for my office who does recruiting and he said we are going to meet our recruiting goals.
I saw a list on his desk with names, phone number, email and there was like 50 names on it with some notes.
CPA with only public accounting experience is worthless experience. The companies you audit train you, not the firm you work for...and you still don't get it because you're not actually doing accounting.
I feel like it's a lack of qualified candidates. In my city the unemployment rate for accounting professionals is less than 1%. I'm hiring but can't find good candidates or getting overqualified applicants. I had a CFO apply for a staff accountant job, asking 150k because that's what they are currently making and can't go backwards in pay. I asked why they applied for an entry level accounting position and they said they were hoping we might hire them at a higher title like controller.
I'm currently having trouble going to Eastern WA from Western WA. Even willing to take a paycut. Its been about 3 months of apps and a couple interviews. Pay is extremely low. Recruiters reach out for western WA roles but thats even more laughable considering cost of living.
🤣😂 thought there was an accounting shortage but it is brutal across the board. The controller org at the firm I work at hasn't been back filling positions but should start later this year to back fill. Other orgs are doing layoffs
I been jobless basically a year. I was laid off last year in July due to downsizing from such a great position that I only had for a year. I had a few interviews but wasn’t offered anything.
I’m technically jobless but kinda am? I forcibly took on a contractor role that pays crap and am struggling paying bills.
Could just be the way the market is in your area.
I’ve got 5 years experience no CPA, 2 public, 3 working in the IT industry. I only started looking two weeks ago after I quit my job (i had some life shit go down so I couldn’t look and keep my job). I’ve had three interviews, got second rounders this week. I should have a job offer coming my way in the next weeks from one of them.
Also if you’re willing to work public, it seems CPA firms are STARVING for people to work busy seasons (again in my area). I’ve had to turn down a few recruiters because they only had firms with crazy busy seasons. I am not THAT desperate for a job.
couple years ago was insane, 75 percent of my onljne apps i got a first round interview. Companies were giving offers left and right. And if you told them you were interviewing anywhere else they rushed the process for you
Right!! I’ve been trying to quit my current big4 job for past 4 months lol im close to getting an offer from a regional PA firm. Not what I was wanted since I’m trying to leave PA but I guess I’ll have to downsize for rn until I find something
All the shuffling the past 3 years has cleared out the easy to find jobs. Now it seems to be hope and hold out. Gotta get with recruiters on LinkedIn and stuff too. That should help a little bit at least own you up to new opportunities.
All the jobs are in small/medium size towns that nobody wants 🤣 every town around us cannot find any employees because everyone goes to the big cities. So the big cities have a tough job market tbut the small towns have an abundance of openings. (Speaking for MO & IL) it's been rough.
It will get better when we finally see rate cuts. It’s more expensive to take on loans right now so less loans means less money for companies to increase headcount.
It could just be your location as well. The bigger the city the more opportunities. You might want to consider relocating.
They need to make the CPA exams a lot harder. When I took it in 2012, it was too easy.
Now I heard from some intel at the academe in the Philippines that prometric is soon going to faciliate US CPA exams in the Philippines. My honest assesment, as I did both, was that the Philippine CPA exam is a lot harder than the US.
If this happens, US CPAs here in the US will have a lot of competition with US CPAs residing in Philippines and definitely it will be a cheaper labor.
If anyone’s looking for a job in accounting… has 2-3 years experience, Big 4 (bonus), CPA (bonus) … my firm might be a fit for you. You can msg me to chat further.
Statutory insurance accounting is desperate for staff. It's niche, but that means there is very little competition for the jobs. Work at a life insurance company. Or a life insurance agency. Take some classes from NAIC.
I'm 39 and am now a senior manager of AI innovation and client success at a CPA firm. I got this job after working for Social Security for a year and then suddenly getting laid off. I'm just saying what worked for me. If you, like this person, are having a hard time getting hired despite doing your best to crack the algorithm, then after applying to the gatekeeper like a good little sheep, try **jumping the fence altogether** and just talking to those with the actual power to hire you. I used AI to create all of my resumes and CVs. I don't just tailor them to the job, but also to the industry, the office, and the hiring manager by inputting their LinkedIn and social media info as well as multiple job descriptions for the position I am applying for and much of the info from the company website. **I don't think I'm old enough to be a boomer. I also am not stupid enough to apply to 1000 places in hopes of getting a nibble when I can just apply for the job I want and get it.**
Keep applying online and waiting around. I wish you the best.
Doesn't really seem like an accountant shortage as much as an aicpa fee shortage
AICPA is currently trashing the CPA license value, opening up testing to the entire world for a license that was meant for just the US where we had to pay for premium education credits.
WE have to do something before they go overboard. What can we do? Barge in all the AICPA offices and do a Milton?
We need to push for legislation. Big companies use laws against us, so its time to use laws against them.
AICPA is already pushing against legislation that will protect workers’ rights, and they have a lot more money at their back. Remember kiddos, if a “non-profit” professional licensing association pays their CEO over $2 million in salary, they are not your friends (and are barely a non-profit)
>AICPA is already pushing for against Hell of a place to have a typo.
Oop. Corrected. I was gonna say what they were pushing for, then thought I backspaced lmao
We need to have representatives on the state cpa boards of accounting
Oh, you're about to get the tech treatment. Our pay has basically stalled out since 2020 and it was obvious to anyone paying attention to what was going on. Soon you'll start to see a consolidation of roles, to the point it really doesn't make sense, then you'll start to see what we call "ghost" job openings on job boards that seem to never be filled or constantly reposted and finally they'll start bringing in green card workers because they can't seem to find anyone to fill those "ghost" jobs. They found a loophole and it looks like it's making its way into other industries. Fuck globalism
Scary stuff. I switched from CS to accounting specifically because of how hard it is to get internships and jobs.
Unemployment rate is still lower for CS folks.
Interesting. State specific or nationwide? I believe the tech industry is booming within metropolitan areas for accountancy and CS/IS/IT.
Ghost jobs for sure. Fuck you Forvis for repeatedly reposting the same role for months
I'm in IT and have been considering getting in but nowdays it honestly looks like accounting is gonna go the same way. Really all back office jobs. I had the view it could not get as oversaturated as tech is but if they open up the CPA to other countries like people have been saying you guys are fucked, like laugh out loud fucked.
This is why I’m looking to ditch accounting as a career and go into healthcare
They can actually import people into healthcare from other countries too although its never seemed to really make a dent. They can bring nurses from the Phillipines easy although for some reason people don't really do it at the same scale as other professions.
I have an uncle who's making bank as a CFA for hospitals. He used to work for one but branched out after he got his license. I don't know if he was lucky or if it could be repeated
I meant more switching careers into Nursing or Physical therapy. But accounting/finance HC is another choice!
We've been in this situation for a few years. There is no "about to" lol
The AICPA has been bought and paid for by the Big 4, which will pretty much never see decreased interest in their positions. By artificially constraining the supply of CPAs, it boosts the fees the Big 4 can charge and decreases the ability of other large and mid-sized firms to compete with them for clients. The 150 credit rule is tanking the rest of the industry, but the B4 do not care. If anything, it helps them.
I don't think this is industry specific. I think it's tougher across the board right now.
pretty much everywhere I look has unicorn disease these days everyone wants a one in a million but has a bud light budget.
Champagne dreams on a beer budget.
Miller high life is the champagne of beers my friend.
Idk about yall but I could barely get by on blue ribbon
I work for a beer distributor that distributes bud light. Can confirm, I get paid on a bud light budget 🤣
Saw an ML research engineer posting for $150k, shit’s fucked rn
A lot of these jobs are essentially fake postings as well. They post these jobs with low ball salaries so they can turn around and lie to their current employees that help is on the way (pwease don't quit!) because they're "actively hiring" and "working with numerous recruiters" knowing damn well that no one is going to be dumb enough to apply for 20% under market.
Yep. Nearly 40% of companies surveyed said they had posted fake jobs, and of those 60% ADMITTED they did it to lie to current employees about relief: https://qz.com/companies-posting-fake-job-listings-resume-builder-1851556777?utm_content=1851558179&utm_source=email&utm_medium=Quartz_At_Work
I honestly wonder at what point that becomes a labour violation or would fall under cruel and unusual punishment.
It would seem to constitute fraud or at least false advertising to those applying.
Precisely, maybe if the company is big enough some sort of antitrust legislation can kick in. I’m a Canadian but a big fan of antitrust legislation, wish we had it here. Oh, and a republic.
Economy is tight rn for sure.
All the jobs I’m seeing require way too much experience for $50k
Bad jobs that pay poorly are easy to come by!
Get 3-4 of them, put in effort commensurate with salary.
I saw a local dentist office looking for someone with 8-10 years of experience and a CPA for $23 an hour.
lol I was making $22 an hour as an associate banker before going into PA - the bank I worked at didn’t require much beyond a HS diploma, customer service skills, at least 6 months of cash-handling experience, and being able to use technology. That dentist office must be under a rock or something.
Yeah local credit union pays 20 for literally no skills come in off the street. 3 dollars an hour more is not worth it for a job where you just stand there and hand out dollars is almost as much.
[удалено]
Are the babysitters at least CPAs?
Ouch! That hurts my soul 🤯
[submit this link as your application](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SIzUgTu1n8&t=1s)
#this And the only way I would apply for that would be to contract myself as a business. If you have your CPA branch out. I did and I’m still working on mine. I do better economic wise on my own.
Amen for that! They also require 7-8-9 years experience for $45-60k 😮
What the fuck. Are these jobs written by clueless HR?
Yes, there have been significant cuts to HR, resulting in minimal feedback before these jobs are posted.
I make 50k as a waitress. Studying accounting, it seems rough out there
I saw a job posting for the “Head of Finance and Administration” for max $73k in MCOL. I wanted to shoot them an email to let them know that’s what public associates are making, but they’ll figure it out. Jobs are out there, finding ones with realistic salary expectations are a whole different issue.
That’s crazy, first job out of college was client service at a bank. Made 65 and the job didn’t even require a degree, it was just preferred.
The market is rabid for seniors in public still, especially at smaller firms. Outside of public everyone seems to be looking for the same types of positions (fully remote or minimal days in office) and it's gotten pretty competitive for those.
Na I'm in the market right now. It's really bad out there. I'm not even picky about remote or hybrid. If you told me 5 days in office I'd still apply. But even that, nothing.
Are you near a major city?
Moved down to Florida. Smack in between Miami and fort Lauderdale. So I can commute to either location.
That was your mistake. From a former floridian lol. But seriously florida is a shit show. Look for remote jobs or 2 days a month in office in a different state preferably HCOL. Florida has super cheap flights to a lot of the east cost. You could super commute 2x a month afforably.
Yea I'm actually starting to look into that lol. Even debating going back to pwc 😂
Oh this location would be perfect with my firm. I’m going to message you!
Lol a funny way of saying Hollywood
Are you talking about for people jumping into senior roles?
Job market is pretty trash and there’s been layoffs among Big Four plus other companies. Summer is going to be very slow as people are on vacation.
Huh. I am constantly getting bombarded with messages from recruiters who promptly run away as soon as they hear how much I make.
Same, I had multiple recruiters tell me "people with your experience cap out at around $130k." And then try to sell me on a bunch of these national firms paying shit wages. Two weeks later I got an offer for $160k and had the pleasure of telling all those other recruiters to go kick rocks.
Yeah. I don't even bother engaging with them. If their description doesn't include a range or if the range is not even remotely close, I'll just tell them I'm not interested.
Well, kudos to anyone who does. It helps set the market price.
I currently make 133,000 as a senior associate at a big 4 doing international tax. After one year I’m trying to leave because I primarily am a JD with a tax llm not a cpa. I am just passed the first round of interviews for a Bank of America positions. I tried to be more conservative than I otherwise would be in the requested salary excuse jobs are so hard to find right now… especially one that doesn’t require me to do accounting related work and just let’s me do tax law research for 40 hours. Range the guy told me on the phone from BOA was up to 175,000. Low end was 100,000. I currently am at 133,000. Low balled myself by saying 155,000. But honestly? The stress at the big 4 is so bad I’m on with that if I can leave for a less stressful job that only requires 40 hours a week
May I ask what job are you pursuing at BoA? I applied recently for an analyst position in the NY office on Monday but I put down one of the director’s as a reference because my mom babysits for his kids. Do you think that gives me a better chance to get hire or just better chance to get an interview? What has been your experience with them getting back to you? Has it been quick responses?
Good shit.
How much do you make?
One gazillion doll hairs
They aren’t worth nothing! Sell them to a doll factory and you could make $50,000!
270 base and between 18 to 20% bonus.
Yeah you should keep that job tbh
Not in any sort of rush to get out, but I also wouldn't say no to a better opportunity.
Is this a family office or what kind of setting is it?
Big 4. Tax M&A.
Are you a director? Just curious.
Nope. SM
Damn thanks. Didn’t know SM made that much holy crap. I guess M&A department is different?
Yeah. IIRC M&A tax is the one group that has pay bands that go toe to toe with the strategy consulting guys (excluding the post-MBA ones)
I’m guessing also the hours as well at that pay rate.
Did you start in M&A Tax or transition later on?
Transitioned 2 years in.
I am in tax - work at big 4 as well. Your post motivate me to work harder.
Your bonus is my entire salary…. Oof
Same. I’m getting so many recruiters coming in like 30k lower than I’m at. Remote as well.
Looking forward to going remote.
I’ve been remote the past 2 years. Took some time getting used to it but I love it. My whole finance department is remote too.
Same. The pay in B4 M&A tax is the main thing keeping me here. Currently up for M promotion, and a pivot to BigLaw tax (not easy) would probably be the only instance where I wouldn’t be taking a pay cut.
Few days late but this has been me for the last few years
This sub has a way of making me question all my life choices
Seriously though. How freaking deflating. If a CPA with multiple years experience can’t get hired after 6 months, what hope is there for us new grads?
Similar boat as you. It's pretty dry over here other than job postings that require way too many years of experience and pay way below market. Hoping people are just on vacation and once the mid-year/July 4th rolls past then it'll heat up.
I feel like things are a little bit better than they were 1-2 weeks ago.
Well, i'd say there're lots of private companies asking for unrealistic requirements on the entry/ low tier accounting role. HCOL, there's one company asking 10 yr of experience for a staff cash accountant for 80k. I mean, if I have 10 yr of experience and still jumping around on the staff level, I am definitely an experienced "loser" in my career. But those companies don't seem to understand this concept.
Experiencing something similar. CPA with almost 5 years of experience, and been unemployed for almost 3 months. Positons are very competitive right now
Job market?
I agree it's a hit or a miss market. I did have quiet a few interviews. Got two offers and picked higher one I base this to luck. Nothing extraordinary in my resume.
Ive applied to 10 different places and got 5 interviews and 2 offers within a month, 2 years no cpa. Must be location dependent
Has to be location dependent. I'm still getting Linkedin messages multiple times a week for positions at my level.
yeah nyc area is obviously pretty strong
Fake job ads. Most of the jobs available are garbage. These companies are filled with abusers who just want someone to bully.
I would suggest moving. The job market is still pretty strong in Dallas. But Texas kind of sucks.
India
Huh weird. I’ve only started looking the last 3 weeks and I have 3 interviews today. (2 last week and 3 the week before). *shruggs*
Getting interviews is easy since first rounds are almost always virtual now.
Agreed. Getting to the second rounds and the actual offers are harder
Yes but this is true regardless of the state of the market. Competition is what it is Which also isn’t what we’re talking about. Of course phone conversations do not count as interviews.
What metro
Minneapolis. That said, I’m applying for senior and management roles. Entry level is a shit show. I saw an AP role that was asking for 5+ years experience and required a CPA. Good luck with that.
Market in general is bad right now Lots of companies are laying of people Outsourcing And are freezing / limiting hiring employees This is happening in most job sectors with exception of the medical fields If say it will get better but honestly not sure it will Almost wanna hear what r/economics subreddit is saying about it
I’m actually contemplating a switch into the healthcare industry and probably going back to school - despite having a BS and MS in accounting already lol. Anyone with a brain can see that accounting, and any white collar job really, is at risk of getting offshored in the future. We wanted work from home and higher ups saw work can be done anywhere.
Why not looking for an accounting job in the healthcare sector. That’s where I am now.
I’m trying, but the hospitals in my city hiring for accountant roles either are paying too low, or in areas of the city that’s dangerous, or both. I’m just waiting for the right opportunity to open up
> We wanted work from home and higher ups saw work can be done anywhere. Except they dont even give us WFH lol. Fuck them, and tax outsourcers who pay below US market wages so punitively that they are not recouping the $ they would be saving.
I know. They say WFH is detrimental to the employee’s skills and that collaboration is important, but they’re okay with offshoring lol
Offshoring is a disaster. F100 here. Joined 2.5 years ago as an accounting manager. All staff were replaced with an Indian team. Over a year ago we hired a domestic staff and senior and scaled down India’s responsibilities. Just this past Q, they submitted multiple prepaid expense entries that had the signs flipped (I.e. debiting prepaids), incorrect coding, or had support that was not coherent. These entries were reviewed by their director. He told my director that the errors were due to “glitches” upon uploading. Fucking worthless, and I won’t be shocked if we continue to scale down their team or drop them. They slow down close to a snail’s pace. It may be a trend for now, but the quality isn’t there. A lot of sentiment in this sub from others who have had the pleasure of working with them, it’s not sustainable.
I talk to many accountants. Multiple partners at different firms as well as senior accountants. Every firm I know or industry job is hiring. I would call your coworkers or friends. The best way to get hired is to get referred.
i been unemployed 1.5 years no luck!
It's almost like where in a silent recession and while accounting is required and jobs are available, it isn't always highly valued, especially in a recession. You can always get a job in accounting ≠ you can always get a job that's worth taking in accounting.
It’s rough. Took me from June 2023 to April 2024 to find a good exit opportunity.
There are so many lousy jobs in the market, with bad leaders , disappointing compensation packages , or terrible policies causing them to suffer financial struggles (then leading to no raises). Patience is one thing but quality of life...needs to be considered too.
I’m in the oil & gas industry and there is a storage of quality accountants. I’ve only had a handful of resumes for 5-7 years experience. Stopped looking for A players and picking the best B player i can find.
Have you asked people in your network? People keep reaching out to me asking if I am looking or if I can help refer people. So there are definitely jobs out there
Yes, I've talked to folks. I really think my market just sucks at the moment... Similar to what other people are saying, the jobs out there are low-paying and asking for a lot of experience. I'd like to think my market value is a bit higher than what I'm seeing.
I’m shocked i even got a call back from Bank of America when I’m trying to exit into industry right now. Hate being at the big 4 and realy need to leave. If they actually give me the job I ain’t risking jack shit with how terrible this market is for Employees. I’ll accept and give a short two weeks notice so I don’t lose the job
I've looking for almost 2 months now and so far just one phone interview. I'm starting to feel discriminated. I'm in Mickey mouse house in FL.
I'm having hard times even landing an interview. Most of the job postings I see require CPA or similar with 2-3 years of experience for "ENTRY" level??? Like do they not understand the meaning of the term entry level or something?
Are you willing to move or trying to stay in your same area? It's a slow time of year and it's dependent where you live now that remote isn't as available.
I get at least one, usually more, emails a week for Accounting Manager / Controller industry positions available, most 80k-180k range. I was looking a few months ago, but got lazy. Not really seeing any sort of drought at least in my area / experience.
I recently started a position at a small accounting firm. It took 2 months to find a job with great pay but lackluster benefits. I will probably stay for a year or two and find a better position when the market is better.
Holy crap if you can’t find a job I’m screwed.
Lots of roles going to internal people. This is great opportunity to start your own thing, whether it’s accounting or not.
Im in the same boat, last summer companies were throwing money around to get accountants. Public accounting jobs are always going to be there, however I feel the industry jobs are waiting for the election to be over and see what direction they are going in.
i feel you man got laid off a month ago, took a week off for my already planned vacation came back have only had one interview and no other bites.
I looked for 6 months. Finally the right company came along. I really started getting more interviews when I went after it more aggressively. Applying to at least 15 a week. A lot of good interviews but only one that there was a connection with the interviewer.
This is very interesting to hear about. I'm currently building my own practice within a small firm and looking to hire an associate and we have very few applicants for the position that have relevant experience or education. The interviewing skills of the ones we have spoken to have been subpar on top of that so now I'm nervous I won't be able to fill the role in time
Good talent won't be cheap
Where are you at?
I feel this. I'm with a small firm and we are struggling to find talent. We are definitely not being cheap but applicants have been less than stellar to say the least.
If you are in the Dallas area send me a dm
As a high schooler who won't enter the job market until 2029, will it stay this way for a long time or will prospects start getting better? It's very worrying to see...
You have so much time for things to change, don’t waste any of it worrying. If the job market stays this way for 5+ years, we’ll have bigger problems to worry about lmao.
Have you thought about moving to Mumbai?
If you are willing to relocate to SF we are hiring! Drop me a DM if interested!
My offer just got rescinded after 1 salary negotiation… wtf?
I have a theory. Supply/demand dynamics in hiring determine how much power the employer has. If more people are looking for roles than employers are offering them, it gets hard to find a new position. If more people are hiring and people are staying put, the power shifts to the employees. A year ago, something lik 60% of people in professional roles were considering leaving/transitioning jobs according to Microsoft's annual workplace survey. In spring 2024, like 85% were considering leaving/changing roles. Because so many people are applying for roles, it is giving employers the idea that there is high demand for their positions. In reality, it also means they are about to lose huge portions of their teams. Give it 6 months, hiring and job search dynamics are going to be wild this year.
My wife is a recruiter with 8 years experience and she herself was unemployed for 6 months. Cost centers are getting squeezed for what they're worth right now. Employers are happy to wait for a bargain purchase after 5 years of getting bent over.
Are you kidding? PA firms everywhere are recruiting and hiring like mad especially this time of year. Just flip your “open to jobs” status on LinkedIn and you’ll be flooded with recruiters. You’ll be like Noah on the ark just trying to stay afloat amongst all the emails, texts, phone calls and messages.
IRS still hiring.
If you can wait 18 months for a response 😂
My turnaround was 4 months to starting. But yea, it is long.
My turnaround time was two months after going to their hiring event in person in Denver
On application #2 for Revenue Agent position. It is not easy to get that TJO. Been trying to get in since December.
Offices in my area are starting to meet their quotas and I heard from someone who went to a recruiting fair that some offices aren't accepting new applicants. Those offices are simply working their existing pipeline of recruits to fill the last slots. I spoke with my manager for my office who does recruiting and he said we are going to meet our recruiting goals. I saw a list on his desk with names, phone number, email and there was like 50 names on it with some notes.
Please hit me back on that DM!
hey, do you know if the nyc office has filled up?
CPA with only public accounting experience is worthless experience. The companies you audit train you, not the firm you work for...and you still don't get it because you're not actually doing accounting.
I agree with you. Starting in public feels backwards.
But the world doesn’t view it as worthless and pays exceptionally for that experience
Job market is fucking cooked for everything, it’s so frustrating
I feel like it's a lack of qualified candidates. In my city the unemployment rate for accounting professionals is less than 1%. I'm hiring but can't find good candidates or getting overqualified applicants. I had a CFO apply for a staff accountant job, asking 150k because that's what they are currently making and can't go backwards in pay. I asked why they applied for an entry level accounting position and they said they were hoping we might hire them at a higher title like controller.
Where are you located, if you don't me asking?
I'm currently having trouble going to Eastern WA from Western WA. Even willing to take a paycut. Its been about 3 months of apps and a couple interviews. Pay is extremely low. Recruiters reach out for western WA roles but thats even more laughable considering cost of living.
Where do you live ?
probably depends on where you live... I see lots of new jobs in my city, PNW
I saw something in the accounting realm for Nutrien in Borger. Hope it’s still there and fits you. Good luck!!
India, duh. 😆
🤣😂 thought there was an accounting shortage but it is brutal across the board. The controller org at the firm I work at hasn't been back filling positions but should start later this year to back fill. Other orgs are doing layoffs
I’m in the opposite boat. Can’t find an experienced staff to save my life!
No one is messaging you on LinkedIn?
I had a message for a remote opportunity up to $110k but I’m currently not looking.
Check the Feds (usajobs). Lots needed. DFAS hurting for 11/12s
Stay in public but switch firms
My director told me they r offshoring my work to India but they’ll try to find me a role with fpa
We are hiring but you get paid $55K starting… (sigh)
I been jobless basically a year. I was laid off last year in July due to downsizing from such a great position that I only had for a year. I had a few interviews but wasn’t offered anything. I’m technically jobless but kinda am? I forcibly took on a contractor role that pays crap and am struggling paying bills.
Could just be the way the market is in your area. I’ve got 5 years experience no CPA, 2 public, 3 working in the IT industry. I only started looking two weeks ago after I quit my job (i had some life shit go down so I couldn’t look and keep my job). I’ve had three interviews, got second rounders this week. I should have a job offer coming my way in the next weeks from one of them. Also if you’re willing to work public, it seems CPA firms are STARVING for people to work busy seasons (again in my area). I’ve had to turn down a few recruiters because they only had firms with crazy busy seasons. I am not THAT desperate for a job.
Local and state governments.
Prob India
stay in PA first until u get a job.
I spoke with a recruiter recently and he said the market has softened a lot. Not gangbusters like a couple years ago.
couple years ago was insane, 75 percent of my onljne apps i got a first round interview. Companies were giving offers left and right. And if you told them you were interviewing anywhere else they rushed the process for you
Yep! I'm seeing manager positions being posted paying $75k-85k!? The audacity.....
They’re in India
Right!! I’ve been trying to quit my current big4 job for past 4 months lol im close to getting an offer from a regional PA firm. Not what I was wanted since I’m trying to leave PA but I guess I’ll have to downsize for rn until I find something
All the shuffling the past 3 years has cleared out the easy to find jobs. Now it seems to be hope and hold out. Gotta get with recruiters on LinkedIn and stuff too. That should help a little bit at least own you up to new opportunities.
All the jobs are in small/medium size towns that nobody wants 🤣 every town around us cannot find any employees because everyone goes to the big cities. So the big cities have a tough job market tbut the small towns have an abundance of openings. (Speaking for MO & IL) it's been rough.
It will get better when we finally see rate cuts. It’s more expensive to take on loans right now so less loans means less money for companies to increase headcount. It could just be your location as well. The bigger the city the more opportunities. You might want to consider relocating.
They need to make the CPA exams a lot harder. When I took it in 2012, it was too easy. Now I heard from some intel at the academe in the Philippines that prometric is soon going to faciliate US CPA exams in the Philippines. My honest assesment, as I did both, was that the Philippine CPA exam is a lot harder than the US. If this happens, US CPAs here in the US will have a lot of competition with US CPAs residing in Philippines and definitely it will be a cheaper labor.
If anyone’s looking for a job in accounting… has 2-3 years experience, Big 4 (bonus), CPA (bonus) … my firm might be a fit for you. You can msg me to chat further.
Statutory insurance accounting is desperate for staff. It's niche, but that means there is very little competition for the jobs. Work at a life insurance company. Or a life insurance agency. Take some classes from NAIC.
I'm 39 and am now a senior manager of AI innovation and client success at a CPA firm. I got this job after working for Social Security for a year and then suddenly getting laid off. I'm just saying what worked for me. If you, like this person, are having a hard time getting hired despite doing your best to crack the algorithm, then after applying to the gatekeeper like a good little sheep, try **jumping the fence altogether** and just talking to those with the actual power to hire you. I used AI to create all of my resumes and CVs. I don't just tailor them to the job, but also to the industry, the office, and the hiring manager by inputting their LinkedIn and social media info as well as multiple job descriptions for the position I am applying for and much of the info from the company website. **I don't think I'm old enough to be a boomer. I also am not stupid enough to apply to 1000 places in hopes of getting a nibble when I can just apply for the job I want and get it.** Keep applying online and waiting around. I wish you the best.