Newly qualified chartered accountants will find their starting salaries are up 3% this year, according to the annual salaries survey from the Chartered Accountants Ireland Leinster Society.

The average entry salary package, including base salary, car or car allowance, plus bonus, is now €58,970, an increase of more than 3% on last year.

And the average across the profession is now €119,270, an increase of 6%.

Almost nine in ten members, at 86%, say their total remuneration has increased in the past three years, compared to 82% in 2021. One in three respondents said their salary has increased by over 25% in the past year.

Leinster chair Ann Marie Costello said: “While expectations around bonus payments have fallen back somewhat, overall remuneration packages are rising across the board, and the vast majority of those surveyed remain confident that salaries will increase again in the year ahead and that there is buoyancy in the market.  
 
“The survey clearly shows that employers have adapted well to new ways of working, and the value members place on flexible and hybrid work arrangements cannot be overstated. It’s reassuring to see the balance being struck between remuneration that is both financially attractive and supportive of work-life balance.”

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The vast majority of members have a pension, with employers contributing an average 9% of their salary. After basic salary, pension contribution is the most valued part of their package for 51% of respondents.   

The survey shows members’ outlook for the future is more positive than in previous years. Some 83% of members still expect their total remuneration to increase within the next 12 months, with almost a fifth (18%) expecting it to increase by more than 10%.

• The survey, carried out in partnership with recruiter Barden, points to a lasting shift in flexible and hybrid working options for Chartered Accountants, with employers facilitating staff to work from home as part of promoting work/life balance:
• A hybrid arrangement is most popular, with 73% saying their employer facilitates this, while 13% of members work from home full-time.
• Four out of five say the ability to work from home is a non-monetary way that their employer supports a healthy work/life balance.
• 74% say that the flexibility to work from home, or being able to work from any location in the future, is valuable to them.
• 74% rate their employer as ‘very good’ or ‘good’ at adapting to remote/hybrid working.
• 36% say they are working more hours at home than when working in the office, down from 48% in 2021.

Barden managing partner Elaine Brady added: “The survey shows real confidence in the accountancy sector, both for those newly qualified and well established in their careers. One of the standout trends for the majority of members is that total remuneration has increased consistently over the past three years, notwithstanding the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"At the same time, we are now seeing clear evidence of flexible and hybrid working becoming embedded norms in the workplace, with almost three quarters of respondents rating their employers as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ in adapting to new arrangements.” 

The results of this year's survey, and those for the two previous years, are available here.

Photo: Ann Marie Costello (left), Chairperson of Chartered Accountants Ireland Leinster Society, and Elaine Brady, Managing Partner at Barden. (Pic: Iain White Photography)