Although the accounting field hasn’t seen a huge increase in job opportunities, experts predict the industry will see an increase in the next seven years. Although increases in specific fields such as tax preparation or payroll services firms are unknown, the predicted increase doesn’t seem to be leaning toward any one area. As it is, accountants and auditors held about 1.3 million in 2008 but of that 24 percent were from accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll service firms and with a smaller percent of about 8 percent of accountants and auditors being self employed.
Job opportunities for accountants and auditors are expected to increase by 22% by 2018. That is a little under 280,000 new jobs for the industry. With in that 22%, those with certifications or other designations are expected to have the best job opportunities as well as individuals with graduate degrees. While a good portion of those availabilities arise from replacing retirees or those who choose to work in other fields, the majority of job opportunities are expected to be from new positions. There is an increased interest in hiring accomplished and well-rounded individuals who not only have exceptional accounting skills but interpersonal skills as well. Employers seek individuals who work great on teams and have specialized expertise to bring to the table.
This predicted increase would be a decade worth of job opportunities and in that time frame might make it seem that the increase is not that large but in comparison to other job sectors, accountants and auditors are expected to have one of the largest increases in job opportunities.
More information can be found here at the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook.