CA ANZ ‘disappointed’ by accounting role gaps in Occupation Shortage List
The professional body has welcomed the addition of tax accountants and auditors to the Occupation Shortage List.
Last week, the Australian Occupation Shortage List was released with the addition of tax accountants and auditors, yet missed other key accounting roles.
Despite critical gaps, CA ANZ welcomed the addition of the occupations to the list.
CA ANZ said other accounting roles not included on the list have also experienced a critical shortage in talent.
The body called for more occupations within the accounting industry to be added to the list in a joint submission to Jobs and Skills Australia.
However, the professional body said after sustained advocacy on the issue, it was pleased to see the recognition. It also noted that it looks forward to the subsequent training funding and policy decisions to address the talent shortfall.
CA ANZ group executive advocacy, Simon Grant, said it is time for a swift government response to address the shortage.
“Accountants and auditors have suffered a prolonged skills shortage in Australia for many years now,” Grant said.
“While we are pleased to see tax accountants and auditors included on the List, we are disappointed to see critical accounting occupations missing, including management accountants and general accountants.”
The body has conducted numerous member surveys that all returned the same answer: these occupations have experienced a significant skills shortage.
According to CA ANZ, nearly 450 members were surveyed in January and February this year.
Results highlighted more than 80 per cent of respondents said their vacancy fill rates were below 67 per cent.
The six largest professional services firms were also surveyed by CA ANZ in May this year, which found hundreds of vacant roles for external auditors, general accountants, and management accountants.
Grant said he was pleased to see the shortages of management accountants in Western Australia and general accountants in Western Australia and the Northern Territory listed.
Grant noted the listings aligned with CA ANZ’s survey findings in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
“CA ANZ will continue to advocate for its members to ensure the skills shortage does not have an adverse effect on the profession and Australia’s economy,” he said.
“We look forward to continuing to work with Jobs and Skills Australia to ensure we have a strong accounting, audit and finance skills base to support our nation’s economic sustainability.”
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