By Ron Blair, President & COO, Century Group
Finance leaders have heard predictions about an impending shortage of accountants and finance professionals for years. Today, those predictions have become a reality.
According to the 2026 Controllers Council Corporate Finance & Accounting Talent Study, 61% of finance leaders report experiencing accounting and finance talent shortages, compared with 46% in the prior year’s survey. At the same time, hiring demand continues to grow, with 38% of companies planning to increase hiring in 2026, compared with 24% in 2025.
The bottom line: Demand for accounting and finance talent is growing faster than the available supply of experienced professionals.
What’s Driving the Shortage?
Several long-term trends are converging:
An Aging Workforce. Many experienced accounting and finance professionals are approaching retirement, taking decades of professional capabilities with them. According to a Wall Street Journal article, 75% of CPAs are at or nearing retirement age.
A Shrinking CPA Pipeline. The profession has also experienced declining CPA exam participation and fewer graduates entering traditional accounting careers, reducing the supply of future talent. The Controllers Council notes that anticipated CPA and accountant shortages are now “gaining momentum” year-over-year.
Growing Business Complexity. Organizations are asking finance teams to do more than ever before. Beyond closing the books, finance professionals are expected to provide strategic insights, support technology initiatives, improve forecasting accuracy, and help drive business performance.
The result is a widening gap between employer demand and available talent.
Hiring Is Becoming More Competitive
The Controller’s Council study also found that compensation for accounting and finance professionals has risen substantially over the past year. Executive-level finance salaries increased an average of 6.7%, directors 6.2%, managers 5.9%, and clerical staff 5.7%.
Employers are responding to market realities, but compensation alone is not solving the problem.
According to the research, the primary reason finance professionals leave organizations is not compensation—it’s lack of career advancement opportunities. More than half of respondents cited career growth limitations as the top cause of turnover.
Today’s candidates are evaluating employers through a broader lens:
- Career progression
- Leadership opportunities
- Flexibility and work-life balance
- Company culture
- Professional development
- Compensation and benefits
Organizations that focus exclusively on salary may still struggle to attract and retain top talent.
The Most Difficult Roles to Fill
At Century Group, we see these challenges firsthand every day. The most challenging positions for our client are to recruit are Staff/Senior Accountant, Accounting Manager, Assistant Controller and Controller. Tax Accounting roles are also a challenge.
Searches that once took 30 to 45 days are often extending considerably longer. Highly qualified candidates frequently receive multiple offers, and counteroffers have become increasingly common. The strongest candidates are rarely active job seekers for long.
For employers, this means every stage of the hiring process matters. Delays in interview scheduling, lengthy approval processes, and slow decision-making can result in losing top talent to competitors.
What Smart Employers Are Doing Differently
The most successful organizations are adapting their hiring strategies to today’s market.
They are:
- Building proactive talent pipelines rather than waiting for openings.
- Using interim and project professionals to bridge critical gaps.
- Working with specialized recruiting firms to fill challenging roles.
- Moving faster through the hiring process.
- Offering clear advancement opportunities.
- Investing in employee development and retention.
- Benchmarking compensation regularly against market trends.
Most importantly, they recognize that talent acquisition is becoming a strategic business initiative rather than simply an HR function.
Looking Ahead
The accounting and finance talent shortage is unlikely to ease anytime soon. In fact, most indicators suggest the challenge will continue as demand grows and experienced professionals remain in short supply.
For organizations that prepare now, there is an opportunity to gain a competitive advantage. The ability to attract, retain, and develop finance talent will increasingly separate high-performing companies from those struggling to keep pace.
The question for leadership teams is no longer whether a talent shortage exists. It’s whether your organization has a strategy to compete for the talent it needs.
Whether you’re hiring for a critical finance role or building a long-term talent strategy, Century Group can help. Contact our team to learn more.
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