Bright outlook for qualified accountants
While the demand for senior finance jobs and qualified account jobs remains buoyant across all sectors in what remains a candidate-driven market, Hays Senior Finance can reveal that some industry sectors are proving more resilient than others.
“Qualified accountants will always be in demand and those that ensure they are at the top of their game should never have cause to worry,” says Karen Young, Regional Director at Hays Senior Finance.
Qualified accountant jobs in the FMCG sector
The constant call for food and drink products by UK consumers means that the demand for qualified accountant jobs in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods sector remains buoyant.
Although recruitment typically takes place from inside the FMCG ‘family’, which makes entry to the industry challenging, opportunities abound in both large corporations and SMEs.
“More and more we are seeing newly qualified accountants competing to get into this sector. While people in this industry tend to find it easy to move into other sectors, they usually don’t want to,” informs Karen Young.
Rising demand for Internal Audit jobs
The internal auditor performs a crucial function in a role that is becoming increasingly proactive – a fact reflected in the amount of investment and resources companies are putting into this field.
Internal audit jobs require the identification, analysis and mitigation of risk, and in times of financial uncertainty this appears to be leading to an increase in demand for such niche skills.
“Internal Audit is a promising option for newly qualified accountants looking to get their foot in the door across the banking, telecoms, insurance, media, retail and manufacturing sectors," comments Karen Young.
Senior finance careers in the public sector
The public sector is inevitably going to offer more stability at this time than some parts of the private sector: the NHS alone accounts for £90bn turnover and has 1.5m employees.
Given the number of NHS organisations in the UK - each with their own finance department - there are plenty of career opportunities for those in qualified accountant jobs – furthermore, FDs in the NHS are some of the youngest in the UK.
Karen Young earmarks the high demand for certain experience: “Private sector skills are always in high demand here given the implementation of a wide range of commercial initiatives, such as service line reporting, world-class commissioning and foundation hospitals.”
Senior finance jobs in social housing
Social Housing offers excellent senior finance jobs, including FP&A specialists, Treasury Managers, Project Accountants, as well as more traditional roles.
Local government provides another excellent source of public sector jobs, with roles for accountants interested in change management. The same goes for education where mergers in the FE sector are creating jobs for qualified accountants within the schools and HE sectors.
“There is a genuine appreciation of work/life balance in the public sector, attractive pension arrangements, excellent salaries and the opportunity to contribute to projects that make a difference,” adds Karen Young.
Do you have experience of the insurance sector?
Insurance is another booming industry and a popular route for qualified accountants. The City of London is the main beneficiary with a marked increase in the number of top end senior finance jobs in the insurance sector in 2008.
“Insurance companies tend to go for candidates with previous experience due to the nature of the industry; this puts a premium on most positions,” explains Karen Young.
