Accountants are taking a leading role in driving sustainability inside organisations, according to Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)’s latest Global Talent Trends Survey.
More than one in three accountants said their role now includes helping their employer address environmental and climate challenges, while 45% report involvement in tackling social impact issues.
Now in its fourth year, the survey gathered responses from more than 11,000 individuals across 160 countries.
A majority of respondents want their future roles to support wider societal goals. Around 63% said they want jobs that help address environmental and climate challenges, while 69% are looking for positions that contribute to social impact.
Employer reputation is also critical. Some 75% said an organisation’s record on social and human rights issues influences their choice of workplace, rising to 82% among Gen Z respondents.
While 82% are confident they can build AI-related skills, 51% worry about AI’s effect on their roles.
In recruitment, 48% expressed concern about the use of AI algorithms in hiring, and 54% of board-level respondents share doubts about growing reliance on AI in selection processes.
Demographic shifts are reshaping teams, with up to six generations potentially working together. However, 42% say collaboration across age groups is currently a challenge.
Some 54% of respondents report ambitions to start or run their own business, including 48% of female respondents.
The survey showed that pay dissatisfaction is widespread, with 55% unhappy with their current compensation amid ongoing cost-of-living pressures.
About 54% said their mental health is negatively affected by work demands, with little sign of improvement this year.
Hybrid work remains the preferred model overall, although Gen Z respondents are more inclined towards returning to the office compared with other age groups.
The survey indicated that the talent mobility appears high, with 52% expecting their next career move to be outside their current organisation.
ACCA Skills, Sectors and Technology global head Jamie Lyon said: ”One of the key themes that we continue to see this year is how accountants have ambitions around making a difference on social impact issues through the work they perform.
“It’s great to see that many say they are actually already contributing to this agenda through their current finance jobs. It’s more evidence of how roles and career paths in accountancy continue to transform and broaden out.”
“Accountants drive sustainability work inside companies, finds ACCA survey” was originally created and published by The Accountant, a GlobalData owned brand.
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