ACCA professionals have this competitive edge over candidates from other accounting qualifications, as the ACCA is a globally recognized and well-tailored accounting qualification sought by many employers from diverse backgrounds and industries. This, in simpler words, means these professionals have enhanced career opportunities, market demand, and better career prospects; skilled professionals usually have the opportunity to choose among various options when doing a job search.
ACCA members in Sri Lanka can avail job opportunities from local as well as strong global organizations, the only condition is that they must be skilled and current with the industry enhancements or advancements. But is that all that these employers seek in Sri Lankan ACCA professionals, or is there more to it? Let’s find out the ACCA Hiring trends in Sri Lanka, followed by local as well as Big Four firms, so that professionals can prepare themselves accordingly.
HIRING TRENDS OF THE BIG FOUR FIRMS:
The big four accounting firms are Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC; all of these are global accounting firms and the dream job of many finance professionals. Here are some of the ACCA hiring trends in Sri Lanka, which they usually follow when hiring new talent.
1: DEMAND FOR FULLY-QUALIFIED ACCA MEMBERS:
The Big Four firms highly prefer fully-qualified ACCA professionals to take over prestigious professional positions in their firms; however, they also offer certain entry-level roles for part-qualified ACCA affiliates. The demand for ACCA qualificants is quite high in these big organizations as they need finance professionals who are well-equipped with practical skills and are efficient enough to manage huge amounts of financial data.
2: TRAINING AND SUPPORT:
This is the factor that attracts professionals the most; these firms offer training programmes and academic support that influence employee skillset and productivity. Other than that, Big Four firms allow employees to rotate across departments such as tax, advisory, or audit. This flexibility enables ACCA professionals to expand their knowledge and push their professional boundaries.
3: BETTER SALARY PROSPECTS:
ACCA hiring trends in Sri Lanka for big organizations and MNEs include their smart strategy to attract professionals by offering better salary prospects and financial stability in comparison to other sectors. This keeps employees motivated to achieve more and prove themselves professionally for better potential earnings and financial security.
4: PRACTICAL & SOFT SKILLS:
Big four firms value ACCA professionals who have a great skillset to deal with financial issues in the practical world; to avail an opportunity to work in these firms, only vast theoretical knowledge is not enough, rather you need to equip yourself with analytical, technical, and practical skills to keep yourself a step ahead of other candidates.
5: ADDITIONAL CERTIFICATIONS:
Your resume is your first impression for these employers, and the fact is that the modern financial world is all about advanced technical skills. Hence, if you want a competitive edge, you will have to equip your resume with additional certifications to make it eye-catching for employers; this is one of the ACCA hiring trends in Sri Lanka that very few focus on.
ACCA HIRING TRENDS OF LOCAL FIRMS:
ACCA career opportunities in Sri Lanka are diverse; you can avail yourself of opportunities locally as well. Many growing businesses in the region actively look for skilled ACCA professionals. Want to know the ACCA hiring trends in Sri Lanka that local businesses usually follow?
1: OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENTRY AND ADVANCED LEVEL ROLES:
Local businesses are more flexible than big corporations when it comes to hiring ACCA professionals; they offer numerous entry-level roles that ACCA affiliates can avail themselves of at earlier stages of their careers. These roles usually include bookkeeping, internal roles, etc; local businesses are more focused on your knowledge and relevance with local financial laws and regulations, ability to manage financial tasks, etc.
2: TRAINING PROGRAMMES:
Local firms usually don’t have much to offer when it comes to training or workplace flexibility; these firms typically don’t offer job rotation or structured training programmes.
3: SALARY PACKAGES:
ACCA hiring trends in Sri Lanka influence the potential salary packages as well. In comparison to the Big Four firms, the salary packages offered by local businesses for entry-level roles are almost the same; however, for mid to high-level roles, the big organizations pay more.
CONCLUSION:
Indeed, ACCA career opportunities in Sri Lanka are diverse. Professionals who are skilled and stay current with industry trends can work in not only local but also international firms. Professionals typically aim to secure a good opportunity in MNEs or Big Four firms, but certain ACCA hiring trends in Sri Lanka influence firm decision-making while selecting a candidate. Before stepping into the financial world for a job search in Sri Lanka, it is best to first educate yourself on these trends and then proceed further with a more structured plan.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
Q1: Are the big four firms in Sri Lanka only hiring fully-qualified members?
Ans: No, they do higher ACCA affiliates/ students as well for entry-level roles, but they do have a preference for hiring fully qualified ACCA professionals for mid or senior level roles comparatively.
Q2: Are the salary packages and other incentives offered by the Big Four firms a factor in attracting more candidates?
Ans: Yes, it is an attractive factor that influences or attracts more candidates; these firms offer progressive careers, job security, and handsome salary packages desired by many candidates. Hence, ACCA members tend to get attracted to these opportunities more.
Q3: When it comes to work-life balance, who wins the race: Big Four firms or local firms?
Ans: Local firms win the race when it comes to work-life balance, as the big four firms have tight deadlines and an immense workload; however, when it comes to job rotation within the workplace, the roles are reversed.
