Australia

Over a third of accountants nominated good work-life balance as the factor that makes them most happy and content in a job, according to a recent survey of job-seekers by specialist accounting recruiter Robert Walters.

According to the survey of almost 650 accounting professionals registered with Robert Walters, good work-life balance makes them most happy and content in a job (34% of respondents), followed by opportunities for career progression (23%) and good salary and bonuses (17%). Similarly, the majority of respondents nominated poor work-life balance as the factor that makes them most unhappy in a job (21%), followed by poor organisational culture (20%) and poor salary and bonuses (20%).

In contrast, a separate survey of over 100 hiring managers found that employers focus most on selling their organisational culture to candidates during the recruitment process (38%), followed by opportunities to work on interesting/challenging projects (23%) and flexible working arrangements (13%). When asked which factor they thought was the primary driver for staff leaving, the majority of employers answered ‘to earn higher salaries’ (37%), followed by ‘to gain more opportunities for career progression’ (35%) and ‘to achieve a better work-life balance’ (14%).

Commenting on the results, Robert Walters’ Associate Director – Accounting, Brett Rose, says, “These findings are consistent with what we hear when we speak to candidates on a day-to-day basis. While salary will always be important, in the current market we’re seeing lots of candidates are primarily looking to join organisations that can offer work-life balance and flexible working conditions. This is particularly true of candidates coming from practice.”

In other findings, 58% of accountants surveyed expect to receive a salary increase in the next 12 months, with the majority of respondents (35%) expecting their pay to increase by 1 - 5% or between 5 - 10% (23%). Worryingly for employers, 49% of accountants surveyed will seek to leave their current company if they do not receive a pay rise in the next 12 months.

-ENDS-

• For more information please contact Renee Palmer on +61 2 8289 3203 or renee.palmer@robertwalters.com.au.

• View recent accounting and finance recruitment trends and salary movements.