Freshly qualified accountants are Scotland's most sought-after candidates

Part-qualified and newly qualified accountants are now Scotland’s most sought-after employees, according to new research from Hays.
Akash Marwaha, MD of Hays in Scotland, said demand is also high for management accountants and finance analysts. Picture: Ian JacobsAkash Marwaha, MD of Hays in Scotland, said demand is also high for management accountants and finance analysts. Picture: Ian Jacobs
Akash Marwaha, MD of Hays in Scotland, said demand is also high for management accountants and finance analysts. Picture: Ian Jacobs

Competition for new accounting professionals is so high that partially-qualified applicants are likely to receive multiple job offers, the recruiter’s Salary & Recruiting Trends Guide 2020 has found.

The role topped the list of employers’ most wanted jobs in Scotland, jumping from fifth spot in the previous year.

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Hays also found that salaries for part-qualified and recently qualified accountants have increased by 7 per cent and 4 per cent, respectively.

Akash Marwaha, managing director of Hays in Scotland, said: “This is due partly as a result of accountancy practices reducing their intake of trainees’ years ago, leaving higher availability of less qualified candidates.

“Demand is also high in particular for management accountants and finance analysts in the manufacturing, charities, housing, FMCG [fast-moving consumer goods] and retail sectors.”

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Cloud architects are Scotland’s second most wanted candidates, followed by tax managers, auditors and quantity surveyors.

Marwaha added: “We’ve also seen auditor and tax manager feature on our list this year because, on qualifying as accountants, candidates tend to make a move away from audit, as audit can be seen as a training ground, rather than a long-term career path. Tax has always been a candidate in-demand sector, as it’s a specialised sub specialism of the accountancy sector.”

The survey of around 1,800 respondents found that 54 per cent of workers in Scotland plan to look for a new job in the coming year, with 38 per cent saying there is no scope for progression within their current organisation.

Top Ten "Most Wanted"

1. Newly-qualified accountant

2. Cloud architect

3. Tax manager

4. Auditor

5. Quantity surveyor

6. DevOps engineer

7. Cyber security analysts

8. Digital marketing manager

9. Health and safety manager

10. HR officer

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