Firms across the country are wrestling with the same problem: Finding qualified accounting talent has never been harder.
This isn’t a temporary blip that will resolve itself. Multiple long-term trends are converging to create a talent crisis—a real threat to traditional accounting practices.
Table of Contents
- The Root Causes of Hiring Challenges in Accounting
- Three Pillars of a Sustainable Staffing Strategy
- The Path Forward in this Talent Crisis
The Root Causes of Hiring Challenges in Accounting
There are a few interconnected factors fueling this crisis.
Explosive industry demand meets limited supply.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment for accountants and auditors is projected to grow 5% from 2024 to 2034, faster than the 3% average growth projected for all occupations. This dramatic expansion would be challenging enough in normal circumstances. But we’re facing it at the worst possible time.
Experienced professionals are walking away.
In 2025, public accounting firms faced annual turnover rates ranging from 15% to 22%, with the vast majority (84%) of departures being voluntary. For context, most industries consider 10% turnover the threshold for concern. When seasoned accountants leave, they take decades of institutional knowledge with them—knowledge that’s increasingly difficult to replace.
The pipeline of new accounting talent has dried up.
Bachelor’s degrees awarded in accounting have declined steadily for a decade, with no reversal in sight. The consequences are clear: Limited accounting talent and staffing mean limited capacity. According to Rightworks’ 2025 Post-Tax Season Survey, 12% of firms were forced to scale back their tax client base simply to match their available workforce. The equation is straightforward and troubling—fewer graduates entering the profession means an ever-shrinking pool of qualified candidates to meet growing demand.
The result? Today’s staffing challenges will intensify throughout the coming decade unless firms fundamentally rethink their approach.
Three Pillars of a Sustainable Staffing Strategy
1. Rethink Your Client Portfolio
The traditional accounting model—accept every client, work endless hours during tax season, repeat—has broken down. This approach directly contributes to burnout, driving professionals away from the field.
Forward-thinking firms are embracing a different philosophy, serving fewer clients exceptionally well. This requires using data analytics to identify which clients align with your firm’s strengths and which drain resources without commensurate value. Some clients will inevitably consume excessive time, create friction for your team, and deliver minimal profitability. These relationships should be sunsetted.
Equally important is diversifying your service offerings beyond tax preparation. When your entire business model revolves around a single busy season, you create impossible workloads during that period and underutilize your team the rest of the year. Developing complementary services such as advisory work, financial planning, and business consulting distributes work more evenly across 12 months. This creates sustainable workloads, improves work-life balance, and makes your firm more attractive to potential hires who want to avoid the 80-hour weeks that have become synonymous with public accounting.
2. Build a Culture That Appeals to Emerging Accounting Talent
This new generation of accountants seeks authenticity and meaning in their work. They want to feel like valued contributors rather than interchangeable parts in a machine. To attract and retain these professionals:
- Communicate your differentiators clearly. If young graduates are avoiding accounting because they perceive it as outdated and grueling, show them how your firm breaks that mold. Be specific about the practices and technologies that set you apart.
- Demonstrate how you protect work-life balance. Don’t just promise it. Show the concrete systems that make it possible. Whether it’s your diversified service model, efficient workflows, or flexible scheduling, make the benefits tangible.
- Create opportunities for growth and input. Younger professionals want to know their voices matter and they have paths for advancement. Regular feedback loops and transparent career development plans signal that you value their contributions and see them as future leaders.
3. Leverage Modern Technology
Today’s accounting graduates have never known a world without cloud computing. They understand intuitively how technology can multiply efficiency and eliminate tedious manual work. Firms still relying on on-premise servers and outdated software send a clear message that they are behind the times.
Cloud-based platforms offer immediate advantages in recruiting. They enable remote flexibility, streamline collaboration, and integrate workflows in ways that traditional systems simply can’t match. For experienced accountants and new graduates alike, these capabilities are increasingly non-negotiable.
Firms that want to take this further can explore managed IT partnerships, which allow you to focus on client service while experts handle your technology infrastructure. This approach ensures your systems stay current without requiring in-house expertise.
The Path Forward in This Talent Crisis
The solutions outlined here aren’t quick fixes. They require strategic thinking, investment, and cultural shifts. But firms that commit to this transformation will find themselves with a decisive competitive advantage in the war for accounting talent. Firms that cling to legacy approaches such as seasonal chaos, outdated technology, and take-any-client business models will find recruiting and retention increasingly difficult.
The real challenge isn’t recognizing that change is necessary—it’s understanding where your firm stands today and which areas to prioritize.
You can do that with our free Modern Firm Assessment. You’ll be able to pinpoint your strengths and opportunities across tech, security, and management in just five minutes—plus see how your practice compares to nearly 500 firms nationwide.
