Partners of CPA (Certified Public Accountants) firms believe that remuneration is the key driver behind a new recruit's decision to take up a job at a particular organisation, but young professionals do not agree.
Those are among the key findings of a new report conducted by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), which found that young accountants consider advancement within a firm to be their primary motivator.
More than nine out of ten (93 per cent) of the partners questioned thought that salary was the principal factor influencing job choice, but new accountants themselves ranked this in third place.
Four out of five (80 per cent) pointed to advancement and paid holiday time was also found to be more important than salary.
Clear discrepancy
The study demonstrates a clear discrepancy between the desires of new employees and employers' perceptions of them.
"While there is no lack of young talent seeking employment, CPA firm leaders must understand what drives new professionals to join and stay at their firms," said the AICPA's vice president, James Metzler.
"To enable our members to better understand the needs of the best and brightest, the AICPA learned about the attitudes and aspirations of the most promising young accounting professionals."
There was more agreement as to why newly hired professionals would stay at a given firm, however.
Top reasons include respect for the practice's mission statement, career opportunities, salary and the chance to work on challenging projects.
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