Accounting & finance

There is an estimated 100,000 people employed in the Finance and Accounting sector in Ireland, making up approximately 6% of our workforce. They are employed in a vast number of different areas which include:

•    Chartered Accounting 
•    Management Accounting 
•    Certified Accounting 
•    Public Finance Accounting 
•    Auditing 
•    Consulting
•    Corporate Finance
•    Tax Planning 
•    Payroll

Despite a challenging economy, the Accounting and Finance sector remains positive.
This is set to continue for 2016 with higher budgets being allocated for acquiring new talent. There is currently a skills shortage, particularly in areas of risk analysis, management and cost accounting, global and financial analysis, and compliance and regulatory standards.  There is, in particular, a high demand for Account Technicians with 95% of Irish account technicians employed. This has the overall effect of making the Irish Accounting and Finance market very candidate driven. 

In order for businesses in Ireland to attract and secure top talent in this industry, they must act efficiently and effectively to reduce the amount of time they spend attracting, identifying  and retaining skilled candidates. 
Talent in the Irish market is generally highly qualified, with companies insisting that candidates will need to have achieved an ACCA/ACA/CIMA or equivalent qualification to be considered for a new position. In more niche positions payroll qualifications such as IPASS are insisted upon for a new role.