Australia’s financial landscape doesn’t stay still, and neither can your business. It takes a team of agile, dependable talent to keep up in this market, and even more so if you want to get ahead.
But, the financial industry is getting more complicated by the year – while finding the right people grows more difficult.
So, what’s happening in Australian accounting and finance, and what do you need to think about when it comes to hiring qualified talent?
State of the Australian accounting and finance market
In today’s digital landscape, accounting and finance is defined by change. And not just the tools we use or the regulations we watch, the very foundation of the job is changing. Organisations are under a lot more pressure than they used to be, and they’re expecting more from their accountants, risk managers and finance team in response.
The biggest trends we see affecting this sector in 2025 are:
Increasing regulatory complexity, i.e. ESG reporting standards, global regulatory changes.
Evolving technology, i.e. growing reliance on cloud software, cyber security risk, artificial intelligence, the proliferation of blockchain in finance.
Volatile market conditions, i.e. abnormally complex global geopolitics, poor economic growth, slow cuts to the cash rate.
Changing demand in accounting, i.e. accountants moving out of the back office, increasingly called upon for proactive strategic advice.
Public scrutiny, i.e. business ethics, organisations under the social media microscope.
Other accounting and finance quick facts:
Talent shortages in this sector remain a serious problem. Last October, auditors and accountants were listed on the Occupation Shortage List, and vacancy fill rates dropped below 67% (CA ANZ).
Only 42% of accounting and finance professionals expect to change jobs this year, indicating relatively low job mobility. Less than a third are actively job hunting (Talentpath Talent Guide 24/25).
Essentially, while there are many great financial professionals working in Australia, they aren’t moving around. In order to attract the best talent to your organisation, you’ll need a plan to lure high-quality candidates out of their current role – including individuals who hadn’t previously considered changing job.
Top accounting and finance skills to recruit for
To ensure your accounting and finance people can keep up in the modern world, there are six key skills to look for in new candidates – as outlined by CPA Australia:
Environmental, sustainability and governance (ESG)
Data storytelling
Technology literacy
Critical thinking and problem solving
Artificial intelligence
Ethics
Defining the accountant of the future
As AI and automation take over many traditional back-office accounting tasks, CFOs are increasingly looking at ways for their accounting people to add greater business value.
The accountant of the future will be expected not just to crunch numbers, but to take a leading role in using those numbers in business transformation – translating reports into digestible, relevant formats for other stakeholders, leading strategic plans, advocating for the adoption of new technology, evaluating transformation programs and beyond.
How much to pay for accounting and finance talent in Australia
Altogether, salaries in the accounting and finance space range from $65,000 up to $250,000, though CFOs can earn considerably more – up to $400,000.
For accounting in particular, salaries tend to start higher ($70k for an assistant accountant) and grow towards the $150k-180k mark for analysts and business partners.
Support roles earn less on average, starting at $65k-75k for credit, payroll, accounts receivable and finance officers. Payroll managers top out at about $150,000.
To attract top-end financial managers, including financial controllers, commercial managers and CFOs, you can’t offer anything less than $150,000 – though expect $250,000 or higher to be the average.
For a full list of accounting and finance salaries, check out our Talent Guide 24/25.
What do accounting and finance professionals want in a new employer?
In our Talent Guide, we asked accounting and finance professionals what they were looking for in a new role – and the factors which increased their desire to leave their existing employer.
Use these insights to get a feel for how you should be rewarding your finance team, and what perks to advertise which might lure someone out of their current position.
Top three factors which contributed to leaving their last role:
Salary
Feeling unfulfilled
Culture
Top three factors which would attract them to a new position:
To a new role | To a new organisation |
Salary | Culture |
Flexible working | Employee benefits |
Team | Values alignment |
Top three desirable job rewards:
Salary raise
Bonus or financial reward
Promotion or career progression
Putting these insights together...
Salary and bonuses matter when it comes to attracting, and retaining, top financial talent. But don’t discount the importance of building a great team culture – culture was one of the top reasons respondents both left their organisation and joined a new one. Put another way, company culture, as much as salary, drives mobility.
Backing up this data is a global report jointly produced by ACCA and CA ANZ, which found that work-life balance ranked as the primary factor undermining the attraction and retention of audit talent, and that there is an urgent need to address “unsupportive cultures” within firms.
Hiring great financial talent in-house vs. using a specialist recruiter
If we could summarise our market report into one thing, it would be this: In order to keep up in this market, you need an accounting and finance team that is adaptable, tech-savvy and willing to stay on top of rapid regulatory change. But, finding these individuals isn't easy.
Good career pathways and upskilling programs will be key to building skills and maintaining your best people. Then, when it comes time to acquire new talent, you’ll need to take a proactive, strategic approach that relies heavily on advanced headhunting strategies.
That’s where we come in.
At Talentpath, we know the ins and outs of the finance world, and what it takes to create success in an ever-changing landscape. We’ll connect you with the right professionals to grow your business, tapping into our expansive talent network and deep technical expertise to find a range of skilled, right-fit applicants. Find out more about our accounting and finance specialists here, or contact us directly to talk about your unique needs.
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