The impact of technology on the desired skills of early career accountants

The accounting profession has experienced significant technological change which has impacted on how accountants acquire, analyse and interpret data to inform organisational decision-making. Key trends in technology have meant that tasks traditionally performed by early career accountants are often automated. Accountants are now expected to have the expertise and skills to leverage technology to complete tasks and make decisions far earlier in their careers than before. This development invites not only a deeper understanding of professional knowledge and standards, but also a growing recognition of how technology can interact with, and potentially change, existing accounting knowledge and standards. In other words, technology should be seen as a dynamic rather than static factor in contemporary accounting work. This commissioned report responds to industry calls to determine the impact of technology on the required skill sets for the accounting profession to remain relevant (Deloitte, 2017)