Monday, June 18, 2007

Transition Pressures

AICPA President Barry Melancon is worried about the long-term structural health of CPA firms. According to Bill Carlino of WebCPA:

"You have 45,000 firms in this country, who are essentially led by Baby Boomers," said AICPA president and chief executive Barry Melancon, who noted that a low percentage of those firms have succession plans in place, and pointed to a recent study showing that small firms have a shockingly high turnover rate of 44 percent. "We need to do a better job if we're going to prepare CPAs."

….

He also said that, disturbingly, among very large firms and the Big Four, there did not exist an "over-encouragement" to take the CPA exam.


That 44 percent turnover number is worth noting. Put it in the context of a high demand for accounting staff, and a huge interest in career changing among CPAs, and you get another view of why so many jobs are staying open for so long.

Council: Staff pipeline remains the top issue [WebCPA]

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