Экономические
науки/ 7. Учет и аудит.
Ляляева Т.Д.
Коломенский институт (филиал) московского
государственного открытого университета имени В. С. Черномырдина, Россия
The future of the
accounting profession
The next decade
will be a period of rapid change and continuous transformation for the
accounting profession that will lend itself to greater opportunities for growth
and productivity. Agility and flexibility will be paramount to the future of
the accounting profession, as technology and demographic shifts transform the
way people work and live, as consumers and businesses turn to accounting and
tax professionals for competitive strategies to navigate the global marketplace. As technology expands and the automation of data
collection rises, the focus of accounting will shift from computation to
consulting because clients increasingly rely on their accounting professionals
to analyze business information, support decisions and provide strategic
advice.
However, accounting
profession is considered to be routine and boring. It requires a lot of
attention and it is time consuming. So, why do people still want to be
accountants? Traditionally, money, status and future career marketability have
been some of the main reasons why people choose the accounting profession.
But nowadays it offers a
lot of new opportunities. Competition will intensify as new industry entrants,
outsourcing and automation displace accounting, audit and tax professionals,
especially for routine and lower-value services. For example, India already
attracts global accounting work and other countries are moving into this field.
In Sri Lanka, the average accountant earns $5,900 per year, well above the
average wage. Seeing opportunity, the government has targeted accounting
outsourcing as a growth industry. Practitioners will be required to gain
expertise in both the U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and
IFRS reporting standards. Even accounting professionals serving small
businesses will need knowledge of standards and regulations of other countries
as their clients expand their customer base internationally. For example, over
the next decade, the total number of small and personal businesses in the U.S.
alone will increase by more than 7 million, and they’ll need more than
accounting professionals ‘traditional compliance services. As a result, they’ll
require a broader range of services, such as assistance with foreign tax codes.
So the next
question arises: what is the changing face of professionals?
The coming decade
will bring a broad range of demographic shifts. Accounting firms will need to
offer flexible work options and increased work life balance to attract and
retain talent. Those that cannot provide 
this flexibility will be
at a competitive disadvantage. In addition to flexible work options, Gen Y
workers will seek tech-savvy employers using up-to-date digital tools. This
emerging workforce also expects learning and growth opportunities. Staffing at
firms will need to reflect and support the growing needs of multicultural
clients and those conducting international business. It is evident that
accountants no longer have to choose between deep professional knowledge or
language skills, but knowledge of English definitely helps because it provides
a door into discussions at the international level that help accountants to understand
their trade better.
The effect of
technology changes on the accounting profession:
As we can see the
rapid technology changes in the accounting industry will accelerate over the
next decade. Smartphones, tablets, notebooks and other mobile computing devices
will become the main tools for managing the accounting professional’s complex
choreography of work and life. These technologies will reinvent work and the
workplace, allowing greater flexibility around when, where and how work is
done. Increasingly advanced, yet cheaper, computing power, networks and the
Internet will lead to the highly developed automation of data collection and
information sharing. They will also improve data quality and greatly reduce,
but not eliminate, the time required for data validation. These tools, coupled
with automated data capture, will shift the focus of accounting from
computation to consulting. As a result, accounting professionals and firms will
become expert users of and advisors on financial technology.
To sum it all up
I’d like to say that 2020 will cap 10 years of society’s transition to mobile
and social commerce, driven by new technologies that allow consumers and
businesses to compete locally and globally. This shift will drive consumers and
businesses to turn to accounting and tax professionals for competitive
strategies to 
navigate the global
marketplace, not just prepare financial reports and tax returns. As small
businesses embrace social networks, so must accounting professionals.
Globalization will be the norm, as small businesses use web access, real-time
manufacturing, and mobile marketing to reach across borders for customers and
suppliers. Accounting professionals who are knowledgeable in international
standards, regulations, and processes will thrive. Accounting firms will
increasingly rely on each other’s capabilities and collaborate to compete more
effectively in the international market place.
So,
I’ve just told you how the accounting profession may change in the future and
what requirements should the new generation of accountants meet to be
competitive in the market.
Литература: