Eight out of 10 accountants are expecting a pay rise in 2015

A new survey has revealed that nearly eight out of ten (79%) accounting professionals are expecting to receive a pay rise this year.

Unsurprisingly, confidence levels are the highest in the South East (89%) and London (85%). Although employees in the Midlands and the North are still optimistic, the figure drops down to just over 71% in these areas.

When it comes to exactly how much extra income employees are expecting to see in their monthly pay packet, over one third say they have their hearts set on a rise of at least 10% of their base salary. It’s not just a pay rise that employees are hoping for however, two-thirds of accountants are also feeling confident about receiving a bonus at some point in 2015.

Just last week we published a post about how accountants are holding power in the UK jobs market and it appears as though this positivity is really rubbing off on those in the industry. As well as bigger salaries, accounting professionals are also feeling confident about new career prospects. When it came to discussing new job opportunities being presented to them, three times as many said that are upbeat about this compared to those who said they weren’t.

In fact, 35% of those surveyed said they are already looking for a new role whilst 22% are planning on starting their search within the next 12 months.

Andrew Setchell, Director of Accountancy Recruitment commented:

“The fact that many accountants are expecting a pay rise and bonus is strong signal of market optimism and indeed we expect demand for high quality accounting staff to increase this year. Given the strength of the economy and the level of confidence around job number, we expect to see many accountants on the move this year.”

This continued boost to the recruitment sector, particularly finance recruitment no doubt explains why accountants are feeling so confident with their current position in the market. Setchell continued:

“As the competition in the market increases, hiring managers who fail to match market rates may struggle to attract and retain the right staff so it’s vital that packages include a good range of benefits and rewards.”

If you are looking for your next accounting role, please feel free to have a look through our current vacancies, submit your CV on our website or contact us for more information about the vacancies we have.

Alternatively, if you’re looking for top quality finance professionals to join your team, please contact us to find out how we can help you.