Chartered accountants in Leinster have an average annual remuneration package of €110,000 according to the Chartered Accountants Leinster Society.

While overall salary packages have remained steady for the majority, the Society's annual survey in association with recruitment agency Barden found that that one in ten members have had their salary reduced as a result of Covid-19, over half of whom had their salary reduced by more than 10%.

Almost 80% say their employers have been “good” or “very good” in adapting to working from home arrangements. At the same time, many employees working from home have felt an increase in workload, with almost half reporting working longer hours than when they were office-based.

Only one in five respondents are concerned about job security at the moment. Nonetheless only 25% — as against 2019’s 85% — believe the market for CAs is buoyant. The proportion who believe it’s contracting has soared from 5% in 2019 to 36% now.

In Association with

Chairperson Áine Crotty said: “This survey gives employer firms, recruiters and those who may be considering a career in chartered accountancy a reliable insight into the profession. Chartered Accountants Ireland offers a range of flexible entry routes into the profession so that students can work and learn in a way that best meets their individual needs, which is increasingly important in the current environment.”

Some of the other key findings in the report are:

• 84% of respondents place value on work / life balance or flexible working arrangements (86% in 2019), and would sacrifice between 5% and 10% of their wages for a better work life balance or to have flexible working arrangements
• 56% say they are satisfied or very satisfied with their work / life balance  (62% in 2019)
• 82% have received a salary increase within the last three years (85% in 2019), with 3 in 10 of members getting more than 25%
• 51% of respondents have been promoted in the last three years., same as in 2019
• 22% have moved to a new job in the last 12 months, on a par with last year

The full survey will be made available here.

Photo: Áine Crotty (left) with Sarah Murphy of Barden. (Pic: Iain White Photography)