INTHEBLACK October 2026 - Magazine - Page 40
F E AT U R E
“Graduate salaries do not always compare favourably with
alternative careers, and the traditional promise of future
rewards is not as compelling as it once was. When I entered
the profession, the message was that if you worked hard
and stayed the course, you could become a partner one day.
That long-term career ladder was a powerful incentive.”
REBECCA KEPPEL-JONES FCPA, CPA AUSTRALIA
the traditional promise of future rewards
is not as compelling as it once was,” she says.
“When I entered the profession, the message
was that if you worked hard and stayed the
course, you could become a partner one day.
That long-term career ladder was a powerful
incentive. Today, people do not expect to
stay in one organisation for decades. They do
not necessarily see the value in accepting
lower pay now for rewards that may come
much later. Retention and attraction are
increasingly linked.”
Keppel-Jones adds that pathways into
the profession present another challenge.
“Students finish high school, complete
a university degree and are then generally
expected to undertake a professional
qualification, but we need to look at more
flexible pathways,” she says. “It is not about
lowering standards — it is about lowering
barriers. We need pathways that are more
accessible and more flexible, while still
maintaining professional quality.”
REGIONAL RESPONSES
Responses to the accounting talent shortage
vary across the APAC region. India is
positioning itself as a regional talent pool
and growth in accounting recruitment is
boosting enrolment in specialised commerce
courses across the country. In Singapore,
the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory
Authority, supported by Singapore’s
Ministry of Finance, recently established
the Accountancy Workforce Review
Committee to create a talent roadmap for
the accounting sector. Its recommendations
include reviewing compensation structures
for accountancy roles.
Edwin Ang FCPA, regional finance
director for Asia at project solutions and
recruitment firm Brunel in Singapore,
believes the profession would also benefit
from an overhaul of accounting education.
40 INTHEBLACK October 2026
