The accountancy and finance landscape has seen a shift in recent years, with promising signs of recruitment recovery driven by a renewed focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies.

In 2023, the Budget, rising interest rates and a widespread return to the office created an uncertain market for the financial recruitment industry. However, ESG and DEI have emerged as common focuses for businesses for the year ahead.

Over the last 12 months, salaries have stabilised from the 30-40% uplift seen in 2022.

Employers in the accountancy and finance space are becoming a lot more cautious about hiring, as they prioritise finding the right person for the role rather than just filling a position.

This means hiring processes are naturally taking longer, roles are vacant for longer periods of time, and workload is being distributed across current staff while organisations search for the right candidate to take over the responsibilities.

To minimise the risk of losing out on a chosen candidate and it goes without saying, the faster the turnaround, the less time a candidate has to be presented with other competitive opportunities.

Therefore, it is imperative to:

• Agree on a recruitment plan with your chosen talent partner(s).
• Secure provisional dates for CV submittals, interview dates/times and decision.
• Provide a clear insight to your organisation’s onboarding processes and timescale

The above has been proven to manage candidate expectations and ensure their commitment throughout the entire process.