Firms anticipate shortage of skilled accountants in rush to recruit top talent

A third of UK's commerce and public practice organisations are planning to recruit for accountancy roles over the next 12 months, according to research.

Just under a quarter (23%) of the 690 firms surveyed by the ECHM recruitment consultancy said they were implementing new recruitment initiatives.

However, just under half (45%) expected to struggle to find accountancy professionals in the next few months.

John Hunter, chief executive of ECHM said: "It's no surprise that we have witnessed strong finance jobs growth over the past 12 months.

"This underlying confidence in the accountancy recruitment market is further demonstrated by the fact that 21% of accountants are intending to change jobs during the next year."