Accountants and auditors are increasingly in demand while the numbers available have continued to fall, according to a new survey.
The Clarius Skills Index, a measure of underlying supply and demand of skilled labour, supports earlier forecasts of a skills shortage in the industry within the next three years.
In the March quarter, indices for accountants rose strongly by 0.8 per cent to 99.2, while auditors rose 0.2 per cent to 98.3.
A score of 100 indicates equal tension between labour supply and demand. Anything greater than 105 on the skills shortage side of the index is regarded as extreme shortage. A score of 95 to 98 is moderate, while under 95 is low.
According to the survey, 176,000 accounting positions and vacancies exist, while there is an estimated oversupply of about 4,000. For auditors, supply and demand is at equal levels with 18,000 in employment.
Clarius Group chief operating officer Kym Quick said there has been a steady increase in demand for accountants and auditors in the first three months of 2010.
“As a result, not only is there less available talent in the market, but we are also seeing an increase in ‘seat hopping’, where people move from one organisation to another,” she said.
