Accounting skills 'hard to come by'...

Staff that have good general accounting skills are more thin on the ground today than they ever have been, according to a survey from Robert Half Finance & Accounting. Read original article

Of those surveyed, 41 per cent said that finding staff that have general accounting skills is more difficult than hiring those with specialist skills such as auditing.

Over one-third of HR managers also expects starting salaries to climb, the survey of over 1,000 companies found.

Robert Half's David Jones said: "These figures are evidence that the role of the accountant has changed.

"Employers continue to seek candidates with a general accounting background that can also add value to both clients and the internal dynamics of the team."

Industry knowledge, financial acumen, knowledge of IT, communication and leadership skills are all becoming crucial to accounting professionals, Mr Jones continued.

In related news, many of the larger accountancy firms still do not have many ethnic minorities as partners, reports AccountancyAge.

The best firms in this area are DTE Group and UHY Hacker, which have 25 per cent and 19 per cent ethnic minority partners respectively, the Commission for Racial Equality claims.