A majority of accountants are expecting disruption in their work, according to the 2025 Annual Salary Guide released Tuesday by LHH, a talent solutions provider and global business unit of the Adecco Group, which found in its "Global Workforce of the Future" report that 57% of financial services professionals and 56% of accounting professionals surveyed said their roles are at risk of disruption by digitalization, automation and artificial intelligence.
Those same professionals reported more confidence about their transferable skills compared to the survey's respondents from other sectors, however, with 62% of accountants and 65% of financial services professionals agreeing that "My current skills are transferable to other roles within my industry" and 57% of accountants and 62% of financial services pros responding yes to "My current skills are transferable to other industries."
The guide also outlines the base salaries in public accounting, broken down by job title and company size. It sourced the Bureau of Labor Statistics in highlighting employment of accountants and auditors is projected to grow 4% from 2022-32, similar to the speed average for all occupations. Meanwhile, 126,000 job openings for accountants and auditors are projected each year, on average, over that same period of time, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The guide's base salary averages for a variety of roles included, for audit/assurance services associate: $80,100; senior audit/assurance services associate: $105,250; audit/assurance services manager: $140,550; tax associate: $79,800; senior tax associate: $102,950; tax manager: $120,900; senior tax manager: $172,200; and partner: $311,900.
The guide's salaries are based on national averages, but account for the variances in key markets to most accurately calculate for location. The guide's authors used local wage multipliers derived from Bureau of Labor Statistics and Salary.com salary differential data. Those multipliers are "calculated against the U.S. national average for each metro area and reflect base salaries only, excluding factors such as cost of living, occupation mix, industry variances, and local demand," according to the report, to provide "clear, unbiased salary insights, ensuring a precise and unclouded understanding of the market."
The report found 62% of the financial services employees surveyed are more confident than the average (57%) that they have the support they need to make necessary career changes.
The guide also offered insight into the profession's current talent shortage.
"AI can crunch numbers efficiently, accurately and securely," according to the report. "This reason, coupled with plateauing salaries for accounting professionals, may explain why we're seeing fewer entries into the accounting field."
The report also provided guidance: "For those ambitious accountants and bookkeepers and their employers, we recommend a heavy focus on reskilling and upskilling opportunities. Even with the prevalence of automation in the field, these professionals will need to provide oversight for new technologies, as well as analysis of ever-expanding quantities of data for better business insights."
The full 2025 Annual Salary Guide also includes market trends in a host of other industries.
