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Nearly three-quarters (73%) of accountancy and finance employers say they have experienced some form of skills shortage within the past year. Half (50%) have found it difficult to recruit permanent staff over the past 12 months and just under a third (31%) have struggled to recruit temporary staff.
According to recruitment agency Hays’ accountancy finance salary guide 2021, 54% of employers plan to hire new staff in the year ahead, a slight increase on the previous year (50%).
These hiring plans are most prevalent for tax (75%) and audit, risk and compliance professionals (73%).
Hiring challenges are expected to continue, with half (50%) expecting a shortage of suitable applicants to be their top hiring challenge this year, and 46% anticipating their biggest challenge to be competition for talent from other employers.
Typical salaries for CFOs, FDs and financial controllers across the UK are highlighted below.