Employers warned that strong diversity and inclusion culture is critical as they face continuing talent crunch

Almost 10,000 professional accountants from 157 countries were asked about the concerns they held around work in the future as well as aspirations for their careers. The survey also assessed key workplace issues such as hybrid working, diversity, mobility and mental health and the cost of living crisis.

Findings

Key themes that have emerged this year are:

1. 73% believe that a strong diversity and inclusion culture would be a key factor in deciding to work at an organization. Employers have more to do with diversity though as 41% of employees believe their organisation focuses more on certain aspects of diversity than others.

2. Professional accountants have endless career opportunities with over half expecting their next move to be external to their organization, making retention an ongoing puzzle for employers.

3. Global economic strains continue to place huge pressure on talent attraction and retention. 58% will ask their employer for a pay rise in 2024 – but 50% believe they will have to leave their organization to get one.

4. Employers are excited by the opportunity AI offers with 78% believing it will enable finance professionals to add more value. But just over a third of employees are still concerned about its relentless pace of change.

5. Mental health remains a major challenge with 57% saying their mental health suffers because of work pressures, and almost half still feeling their employer doesn’t consider mental health to be a priority.

6. Hybrid working is slowly gaining traction, but big mismatches remain between what employees want and what employers demand. 76% of employees say it’s their preferred arrangement but many employers continue to insist on full-time office working arrangements.

Click here to view the ACCA Global Talent Trends Survey 2024.