Accounting and finance employee confidence rises; more looking to change jobs

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The Accounting and Finance Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among U.S. accounting and finance workers, edged up 2.2 points to 56.1 in the fourth quarter of 2010, according to a recent survey.

The survey also indicates that more members of the workforce believe they are likely to make a job change in the next 12 months. The survey was commissioned by The Mergis Group, a professional placement division of SFN Group, Inc., and was conducted by Harris Interactive.
 
"The Mergis Group Accounting and Finance Confidence Index displayed a moderate, yet optimistic gain in the final quarter of 2010, with a noticeable increase in the amount of workers looking to make a job transition," said Brendan Courtney, president of The Mergis Group.
 
Results from the Accounting & Finance Employment Report:
  • Fifty-one percent of accounting and finance workers believe there to be fewer jobs available, representing a nine percentage point drop from the third quarter of 2010.
  • Half of accounting and finance workers are confident in their ability to find a new job, up six percentage points from the previous quarter.
  • More than three-fourths (78 percent) of accounting and finance workers are confident in their job security, as compared to 74 percent reporting confidence the third quarter of 2010.
  • Forty-four percent of accounting and finance workers are likely to make a job transition in the next 12 months, increasing 14 percentage points from the previous quarter.
 
"Our index continues to remain in accord with the national economic situation, reflecting mixed sentiment and fluctuating levels of confidence among workers," Courtney said.
 
"However, our latest report reveals increased amounts of worker confidence, an indicator that perhaps the economic recovery is gaining traction and 2011 will see a return to healthier hiring activity," Courtney said. "If and when that happens, we expect many workers to begin seeking new employment opportunities, with nearly half of accounting and finance workers already reporting the likelihood of job transition in the next 12 months."
 
Additional demographic and survey background information.
 

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Even though any accounting auditor would tell you it seems like there are an awful lot of tax accountants out there, surely one-third of the country isn't made up of tax preparers, so it's rather startling news to learn that one-third of Americans like to do their taxes. Who knew?
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