While most think that the recent economic trends will adversely affect their future, accountants are able to see this downturn in a positive light. Accounting is a very stable career path. Despite being a stable career path, accounting is also quite recession-proof. Though almost all jobs are on the decline, accounting remains one of the top positions searched for by companies these days. There is never going to be an economic downturn for accountants because accountants will be needed for everyday commerce. As long as there is business, there will be a demand for skilled accountants so that companies can allocate costs and reduce them as well as increase production where they are making money. Whether the economy is on the rise or becoming sluggish, accountants will always be safe. A strong economy means that there will be more businesses, meaning more businesses that are looking to hire accountants. Even a sluggish or stagnant economy will has a high demand for accountants because the businesses will want to cut costs as much as they can in order to stay competitive.
The demand for accountants is at an all time high recently because of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act has made businesses pay closer attention to those they hire in the accounting, auditing, and financial fields. Because of this legislation, businesses are looking to hire the most adept professionals in their field to keep up with the new regulations presented by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The strict regulations create opportunities for accountants and auditors to audit financial records more thoroughly.
The transition to International Financial Reporting Standards is also playing a role in the all time high hiring of accountants. The shift to IFRS is a very costly process and many businesses and accounting firms are doing all they can to ensure a smooth transition. To do this, firms are looking for accountants with knowledge in both U.S. GAAP and IFRS. The shift from U.S. GAAP to IFRS will take place for some companies in as early as 2009. These companies have been preparing for this for years. They are hiring more accountants to make it a smooth transition.
The recent economic downturn has actually made the demand for accountants rise. Because businesses are looking to save money by cutting costs wherever they can, they are hiring accountants to find out where they are making their money and what sections of their business are less profitable. Unlike most other jobs, accountants are always in demand. Whether business is good or bad, accountants will always be needed. Since the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, businesses are looking to accountants to keep the integrity of their business because of the more complicated business deals that go on daily.
Accountants are also being hired more steadily today because of scandals surrounding the accounting community. The scandals create more accounting jobs because businesses and auditing agencies want more detail in their analyses because of the strict regulations and more auditors means more detail. Accounting is one of the rare professions that have an increase in people hired after there is a scandal involved in that line of work. The demand for forensic accountants has been steadily climbing in the last ten years. Because of the lack of ethics in business today, with crimes such as embezzlement, bribery, and securities fraud becoming commonplace, the demand for forensic accountants to detect illegal financial activity by individuals, companies, and organized crime rings.
Hiring is going so well for accountants that some firms even go to colleges and universities in order to find future employees. Many firms nowadays are looking to hire graduating accounting majors right out of college. One reason accounting firms are doing this is because the firms can train the new graduate in their own way of doing things. Also, because the demand for accountants is so high, firms can seek employees at a much lower cost.
Accounting is a great career path because there are there are many different types of specialties in the field and the fact that the demand for accountants has been increasingly yearly with no end in sight of this trend.
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