Recruiting is Still a Major Issue

Source: Accounting Office Management & Administration Report

While the recession may ease it somewhat, recruiting is still a major problem. Respondents to AOMAR’s 2009 CPA Firm Practice Management Survey report on the best methods they use.

Hiring approaches that work best include internships (cited by 72.1 percent of respondents), followed by established relationships with local colleges and universities (67.4 percent), and offering flextime (53.5 percent).

Flextime is the leading successful retention method cited by respondents, with 71.4 percent indicating this works for their firms.

More than half (58.1 percent) of respondents offer flex schedules to all at the firms, and another third (32.3 percent) provide flexibility to professional staff and partners only (meaning no flex schedules for administration staff). Only 6.5 percent do not currently offer flex schedules to anyone.

Telework is permitted for professional staff and partners at 48.4 percent of responding firms, and another 23.1 percent said it is permitted for anyone at the firm.

The average turnover among all firms is 11.6 percent among professional staff (CPAs and consultants) and 9.4 percent among administration and support staff.

More than a third (35.2 percent) of this year’s survey respondents indicated they have no staff shortages at this time. Shortages of mid-level (3 to 5 years) and senior-level (6+ years) were reported by 45 percent and 44 percent of respondents, respectively.

For the complete article and supporting tables, click here.

From Accounting Office Management & Administration Report, Institute of Management and Administration, Inc., Newark, NJ, [email protected], February 2009, p. 1, “Exclusive AOMAR Survey: Staffing & Human Resources Are Still Top MAP Issues for CPA Firms.”