Demand for skilled finance and accounting professionals remains intense midway through 2025. With unemployment rates for many positions well below the national average, companies must compete for the same limited pool of qualified candidates.
Staying on top of finance and accounting hiring trends allows you to target the most in-demand roles and strengthen your retention efforts. Robert Half’s Demand for Skilled Talent report offers a clear view of where competition is fiercest—and how to respond.
2025 In-Demand Finance and Accounting Roles and Hiring Trends
What does the finance and accounting hiring market look like?
Most finance and accounting positions tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics have seen unemployment rates trending well below the May 2025 national rate of 4.2%. For example, the rate reported for financial managers was 1.9% in Q1 2025, and the rates for credit analysts (1.5%), accounts receivables clerks (1.4%) and accountants and auditors (1.3%) were even lower.
The industries leading the charge in finance and accounting hiring include business and professional services, financial services, and manufacturing and transportation. This surge in cross-sector demand is tightening the talent pipeline, compelling companies to rethink how they attract, retain and reward finance and accounting professionals.
Key finance and accounting hiring trends in 2025
Companies across all industries need candidates with specialized skills. According to research for the Demand for Skilled Talent report, the most evident skills gap on finance and accounting teams is within finance and FP&A. This gap reflects a broader challenge: while businesses are generating more financial data than ever before, they often lack professionals with the analytical, strategic, and forecasting skills needed to turn that data into actionable insights. FP&A roles require a unique blend of technical proficiency, business acumen, and communication skills—capabilities that are in short supply. As a result, companies are struggling to find candidates who can build dynamic financial models, conduct scenario planning, and provide forward-looking guidance that supports strategic decision-making. Bridging this gap is essential not only for financial health but also for long-term competitiveness in an increasingly data-driven economy.
Beyond finance and FP&A, research for the report found several other areas where skills gaps are evident:
Financial reporting
Tax
General accounting
AP, AR and bookkeeping
Learn where the jobs are in demand
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Explore our Demand for Skilled Talent report to see what specializations employers need most.
Managers’ recruitment plans for the second half of 2025
To achieve critical business objectives, most finance and accounting leaders intend to expand their workforce or sustain current staffing levels in the coming months. Fifty-six per cent of managers plan to look for candidates for new permanent roles, while 39% are recruiting solely to staff vacant permanent positions.
However, 93% of leaders report difficulties securing qualified professionals in today's employment landscape. At the same time, 70% said they’re increasing their use of contract talent.
Bringing on contract talent offers several advantages: access to specialized skills for specific projects, flexibility to scale teams up or down based on project demands and faster time to hire for critical positions. Contract professionals also allow companies to evaluate professionals before making permanent hiring decisions, reducing the risk of costly hiring mistakes.
Explore finance and accounting contract talent solutions from Robert Half.
How to compete for finance and accounting talent in a challenging hiring environment
In today’s competitive hiring market, attracting and retaining top finance and accounting professionals requires a mix of strategies.
Salaries that meet or beat market rates are vital, but workplace flexibility, including remote and hybrid options, is prioritized by many candidates. In the finance and accounting fields, 63% of new job postings have recently been for on-site positions, 27% for hybrid and 10% for fully remote roles. Policies promoting other ways to achieve work-life balance such as personal wellness days and parental leave can also set you apart from other companies seeking the same talent.
The opportunity to work with emerging technologies can be a magnet for today's professionals. Leading candidates expect to work with updated platforms like QuickBooks Online with Intuit Assist and Sage Intacct, which now incorporate AI to automate routine tasks and provide real-time insights. They also want experience with specialized tools like Vic.ai for invoice processing automation, MindBridge AI and DataSnipper for audit and fraud detection, and platforms like BlackLine and Trintech for financial reconciliation.
Finally, streamline recruiting. Lengthy interview cycles send prized candidates to faster-moving competitors. Partnering with a specialized talent solutions firm like Robert Half can surface passive talent quickly and keep your creative pipeline flowing even when the broader economy feels uncertain.
About the Demand for Skilled Talent report
The Demand for Skilled Talent report by Robert Half is an authoritative source providing essential insights into employment trends. This report has offered a deep dive into the U.S. hiring landscape for over a decade, spotlighting challenges and strategies to attract and retain talent. It explores what employees seek in their careers, identifies common recruitment errors and suggests solutions. The report spans finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, administrative and customer support, and human resources, proving crucial for business leaders and managers.
