The 2025 Hays UK Salary and Recruiting Trends Guide surveyed employers and professionals across the accountancy and finance sector. The results reveal that nearly seven in ten (69%) employers plan on hiring staff over the next year, but both organisations and professionals expect to face several challenges in the upcoming months.

The external factors that organisations feel pose the greatest threat in the year ahead include the economic environment (60%), rising costs for businesses (57%) and recruiting the right talent (49%), consistent with the findings of our research the year prior.

Hiring for potential could overcome skills gap

Employers across the accountancy and finance sector continue to grapple with skills shortages, with the majority (92%) saying they experienced skill shortages last year, an increase from the year before (88%).

Looking ahead, more than three quarters (77%) of employers expect to encounter a shortage of suitable applicants in the upcoming months; turning to alternative hiring methods may be an effective way to combat the skills crisis.

As our research demonstrates, employers are increasingly hiring for potential, as 77% say they are likely to hire professionals without all the required skills, with the intention of upskilling them. On top of this, close to half of employers (47%) feel it’s not essential for a prospective employee to have a degree.

People skills continue to be crucial for leading a fulfilling career and finance employers cite the top five most in demand soft skills as:

• Communication and interpersonal skills (51%)
• The ability to adopt change (41%)
• The ability to learn and upskill (33%)
• Flexibility and adaptability (31%)
• Coordinating well with others (29%)

Specialist areas seeing salary rises

During the last year, most (88%) accountancy and finance employers increased pay for their workforce, with nearly a quarter (24%) increasing wages by more than 5%. According to our research, salaries across the sector have increased by an average of 3.6% over the last year. Some areas have seen above average pay rises, including part-qualified professionals (5.8%), those working in accountancy support roles (5.3%) and accounts receivable professionals (5.1%). Positively, salary satisfaction has risen slightly, with only 29% saying they are unhappy with their pay in comparison to a third (33%) the year prior.

Flexible working a priority for finance professionals

As it stands, seven in ten (70%) employers offer hybrid working to their staff, slightly less than last year (74%), and this flexibility continues to be important to finance professionals.

The top three benefits important to finance professionals when considering a new role are flexible working options (34%), additional holiday days (30%) and health insurance or private medical cover (28%).

Close to two thirds (64%) of professionals say the ability to work within a hybrid model is important when it comes to considering a new role. On top of this, over half (58%) would not consider taking a job that didn’t offer this flexible working option. A further 14% intend to look for a role that allows them to work entirely remotely in the coming months.

Considering more than half (58%) of those working in finance want to change jobs this year, a significant increase from 47% who felt the same last year, employers need to acknowledge and respond to what professionals value most, in order to attract and retain the top talent in a competitive market.

*Salaries based on jobs across the UK. Source: Salary & Recruiting Trends 2025 | Digital Guide | Hays