The stereotype of the numbers-focused accountant is being dismantled by the profession itself.
More than 2,000 UK finance professionals have revealed that purpose, not pay, is a defining factor in how they make career decisions, choose employers and measure their own success. The insight comes from the world’s largest annual talent survey of more than 11,000 finance professionals across 160 countries.
The findings from ACCA’s annual Global talent trends survey reveal that 54% of UK finance professionals want roles that make a difference to social impact, while 47% want their work to contribute to addressing the environmental and climate challenge.
Crucially, many are already there: one in three say their current role is helping their employer address environmental and climate issues, and 39% say they are actively contributing to social impact work.
The shift reflects a fundamental change in how UK finance professionals understand their value and their potential. Where accountants were once primarily scorekeepers of business performance, they are increasingly being asked to help organisations define what performance means: balancing profitability with ethics, environmental responsibility and social value.
That evolution is particularly pronounced among younger professionals. Two thirds (63%) say an employer’s reputation on social and human rights is a key factor in where they choose to work. For the next generation of finance talent, purpose is not a nice-to-have. It is a baseline expectation.
Jamie Lyon is Global Head of Skills, Sectors and Technology at ACCA: “One of the key themes we continue to see across the UK this year is how accountants have ambitions around making a difference on social impact issues through the work they perform.
“It’s great to see that many are already contributing to this agenda through their current finance jobs. It’s more evidence of how roles and career paths in accountancy continue to transform and broaden out.”
The implications for employers are significant. With 49% of respondents expecting their next career move to take them outside their current workplace, and 48% dissatisfied with their current level of pay, organisations that cannot offer meaningful work alongside competitive pay face a compounding retention problem.
Glenn Collins, Head of Technical and Strategic Engagement at ACCA UK adds: “What this survey tells us is that finance professionals in the UK are no longer willing to separate their technical expertise from the broader impact of their work. The opportunity for employers is to harness that and to position their finance function not just as a reporting engine, but as a driver of social value.”
Now in its fourth year, ACCA’s Global talent trends survey is the largest annual survey of accountancy and finance professionals worldwide, covering respondents across 160 countries on issues including career ambition, sustainability, intergenerational collaboration and workplace wellbeing.
Other interesting UK report findings:
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Changing demographics mean there could be up to six generations in the finance workforce – but a third say current cross-generational collaboration is a challenge. 62% of baby boomers (aged 62+) want the value of older employees recognised.
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Entrepreneurial ambitions burn brightly for Gen Z (aged 18-27) 50% – including 32% of females.
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47% say their mental health suffers due to work pressures causing mental health progress to flatline this year.
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Gen Z lead return to office momentum (67%), but hybrid working arrangements remain the preference of most.
Image provided by the ACCA (The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants)
