Profiles
Archive for February 2012
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Accountancy hiring trends for 2012
Comments | Posted by Edward Heffernan in Accounting and Finance
Ed Heffernan, Morgan McKinley, delivers an overview of the accountancy hiring trends for 2012.
The outlook for the accountancy and finance jobs market in 2012 is generally positive – trending in line with 2011. Financial services and multinational companies continue to be the dominant employers in 2012.
Multinationals to SMEs
It is expected that multinational companies will continue to offer the most new job opportunities for 2012. In particular, food, as well as shared service providers and businesses that are not solely dependent on the Irish consumer for revenue.
In many cases, larger businesses attempt to hire people from companies of a similar size and market sector. Recruitment within medium sized businesses did not see the volume of roles that were expected to come onto the market in 2011.
Contract hiring
Demand for temporary and interim professionals at all levels will continue in 2012, again mainly from multinational and international organisations. However it is expected that roles for senior level finance candidates will remain limited. Companies recruiting for temporary and interim employees recruit professionals with specific experience.
Hot spots in the market
General ledger accountants, accounting managers, treasury, internal audit and accounts receivable/payable professionals, particularly those with a second language, are in high demand.
Accountancy practice hiring trends
Finally, the increased hiring activity of accountancy firms that we saw throughout 2011 has continued into 2012.
It is predicted that the majority of recruitment growth in 2012 will come from any businesses that are not solely reliant on the Irish consumer for their revenue.
The most sought after accounting jobs in 2012 are:
- Internal audit
- Commercial accountants
- General ledger accountant for SSC
- Bi-lingual general ledger accountants
- Bi-lingual accounts receivable/payables
- Project accountants
Edward Heffernan
Associate Director | Accountancy & Finance
We were delighted to be recognised as one of the Best Workplaces in Ireland. This was revealed at the annual Great Places to Work awards ceremony in Dublin last night. We ranked third in the medium sized companies category.
Although we have had the prestige of achieving a place in the Best Workplaces listing for 7 years now, it is an achievement that is never taken for granted and nor is the fact that our success in this regard is a direct result of our people. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our employees across Ireland for all their hardwork and commitment to our business.
If you are interested in finding out more about working with us, please contact our Talent Acquisition manager, Ciara Underwood or view our latest job opportunities on our dedicated careers website.
A significant number of pharmaceutical companies in Ireland have specified the need for experienced tech transfer specialists and NPI scientists/engineers to facilitate NPI and scale-up from clinical to commercial scale production. As any pharmaceutical professional will know, inward tech transfer is a very promising sign in terms of stability within a company. The fact that we are seeing a strong demand for this type of candidate is highly encouraging for the Irish pharmaceutical sector to say the least!
With the market still recovering from the financial crisis however, the only downside to this development has been that companies are still seeking candidates with experience in particular product types – i.e. primary manufacturing facilities continue to seek candidates with API development experience, and solid dose companies remain fixed in their requirement for candidates with backgrounds in tabletting operations. More recently there has also been a big jump in the demand for candidates who have previously specialised in aseptic production.
This can be hugely disheartening for candidates – where exactly does one gain the necessary experience without being given a shot? As a recruiter, I personally like to see candidates who may not be an ideal fit come to me, having extensively researched the area they wish to gain access to, rather than simply firing in an application that is not a fit for the advertised job spec. This gives me the confidence to recommend that person to the employer, and tells me that they can offer a reliable and credible option for roles in what can be a relatively candidate-short market.
This may not work for everyone with every employer, but my advice is to try it and you may not get as many ‘regret’ responses without having the chance to at least have a conversation with the recruiter, whether they come from an agency or a talent acquisition team.
I invite experienced NPI/tech transfer candidates interested in discussing their next step to contact me at sburke@morganmckinley.ie to arrange an informal and confidential discussion ahead of upcoming opportunities.
Highlights of this month’s Employment Monitor:
- The Morgan McKinley Irish Employment Monitor recorded a month-on-month increase of 39% in the number of new professional jobs available in January 12
- There was also a marked increase (28%) in the number of professional job opportunities when compared to the same time last year
- There was a significant increase in professionals looking for new roles, with the number rising by 70% compared to January 11.
