ANZSCO: 2414 - AWPA

ANZSCO: 2211
ACCOUNTANTS
… plan and provide accounting systems and services relating to taxation and the financial
dealings of organisations and individuals, and advise on associated record-keeping and
compliance requirements.
This Unit Group contains the following occupations included on the 2012 Skilled
Occupation List (SOL):
221111 Accountant (General)
221112 Management Accountant
221113 Taxation Accountant
Note: Accountants must be eligible for professional accreditation by CPA Australia, the
Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia or the Institute of Public Accountants.
Indicative Skill Level
Most occupations in this Unit Group have a level of skill commensurate with a Bachelor degree
or higher qualification. In some instances relevant experience and/or on-the-job training may be
required in addition to the formal qualification (ANZSCO Skill Level 1).
Specialised Occupation Criteria
Long lead time
Certified/accredited Accountants meet the criteria for long lead time, as entry to this occupation
requires a substantial training commitment.
Employment as a professional Accountant requires completion of an approved
undergraduate accountancy bachelor degree of at least three years of study, and
completion of the professional qualification, through the relevant professional organisation,
of at least three years study and work experience, for Certified Practicing Accountants
(CPA), Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia (ICAA), or the Institute of Public
Accountants (IPA) status.
High use
Accountants meet one aspect of the criteria for high use; showing that the skills which people
have acquired through education and training are being deployed for the uses intended.
Of new graduates employed as Accountants, 89% were found to have studied in a related
field, such as accounting, business and management, banking and finance, or other
management and commerce areas (Australian Graduate Survey, 2010). Note: this also
includes general accounting courses which may not be accredited by CPA, ICAA or IPA,
and may not lead to accreditation by any of these bodies.
As professionals, Accountants are expected to have a level of skill commensurate with a
Bachelor degree or higher qualification. Of those employed as Accountants, 83.2% were
found to possess this level of skill (ABS Survey of Education and Work, 2011). Note: this
includes all Accountants, including those not registered/accredited by a professional body.
High risk
Accountants were also found to meet the criteria for high risk/high disruption. This indicates that
shortage of skills causes significant cost to the community and/or economy.
The accountancy profession is strongly self-regulated, requiring membership of an
Australian professional accounting body in order to be employed as a certified/accredited
Accountant.

SOL Summary
The number employed in this Unit Group is expected to grow by 9.3% to 2015-16, while
domestic commencements in accounting specialisations have decreased by 8.3% over the past
five years, signalling a downturn in domestic supply.
Unemployment rates for Accountants continue to remain below the ‘all occupations’ average.
Each of the professional Accounting bodies provided submissions highlighting a number of
issues which support the view that migration will continue to be required to supplement
domestic supply in this occupation over the medium term.
The evidence indicates that the demand for Accountant (General), Management Accountant
and Taxation Accountant is expected to exceed supply over the medium to longer term.
Accountant (General), Management Accountant and Taxation Accountant are included on the
2012 SOL but continue to be flagged for further monitoring of labour market conditions to
ensure the economy maintains its strong capacity to absorb the high level of independent
migrants in this occupation.

Occupation trends
ANZSCO: 2211
Accountants
Employment level
6 digit employment
(2006 Census)
Employment growth
Unemployment rate
Educational profile
Vacancies
Gender
Labour turnover
Age profile
158 100 A high proportion of workers (83.5%) are employed full-time.
2211-11 Accountant (General) 112 790
2211-12 Management Accountant 2910
2211-13 Taxation Accountant 7510
Over the five years to November 2011, employment in this occupation
increased by 6.9% (compared with growth of 10.4% for all occupations).
Employment over the next five years is expected to increase by 9.3%.
2.0% compared with 3.1% for all occupations.
83.2% have a Bachelor degree or higher qualification.
The Internet Vacancy Index (IVI) fell by 4.7% over the 12 months to
November 2011. Vacancies for all occupations fell by 7.1%.
49.0% of workers in this occupation are female (compared with 45.5% for all
occupations).
Annually, 10.3% of Accountants, Auditors and Company Secretaries (which
includes Accountants) leave their occupation group, creating some potential
job openings (this compares with 14.2% across all occupations).
The median age is 37 years and 30.5% of workers are aged 45 years and
over (compared with 38.5% for all occupations).
Earnings Median full-time weekly earnings (before tax) are $1265 compared with $1050
for all occupations.
Graduate outcomes
Data from Graduate Careers Australia (GCA) indicate that 78.6% of students
completing a Bachelor degree in the field of accounting in 2010 (and who
were available for full-time work) were in full-time employment four months
after graduating. This is slightly above the average for all Bachelor degree
graduates (76.6%).
GCA data indicate that labour market outcomes for these 2010 accounting
graduates are weaker than those recorded for 2008 graduates (more than
85% of whom secured full-time employment four months after graduating).
Outcomes for Masters (by coursework) graduates are particularly weak, with
69.2% of those available for full-time employment working full-time four
months after graduation (compares with 84.6% of all Masters coursework
graduates).
Skill shortages Shortages of Accountants were relatively persistent until 2008.
Labour market
Shortages of Accountants were persistent until the onset of the global recession when demand fell markedly.
There has not been a significant pick-up in demand since then and the labour market remains subdued.
Recruitment experiences in 2011 suggest the labour market has eased further over the past year and that
there is some surplus supply of qualified Accountants. There is no evidence of shortages re-emerging.
Almost 90% of surveyed vacancies in late 2011 were filled and there were large fields of candidates (an
average of 28 per vacancy), with 4.5 suitable applicants per vacancy overall, significantly above the number
of suitable applicants per vacancy across all surveyed occupations of 1.7.
Metropolitan employers were more successful than regional employers; filling 96% of surveyed vacancies
and attracting an average of 31 applicants per vacancy, with five per vacancy considered to be suitable.
Significant numbers of those applicants considered to be unsuitable held relevant qualifications (some at the
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) January 2012

post-graduate level) but were unsuitable for other reasons, including low levels of written and oral
communication skills.
Regional employers filled 76% of vacancies; receiving an average of 21 applicants, of whom three were
suitable.
Management Accountant, Taxation Accountant and Accountant (General) were not disaggregated prior to
2009 (they were a single six digit occupation under the title Accountant). It is therefore difficult to provide a
historical perspective of these separate accounting streams.
2211-11 Accountant (General)
DEEWR research in late 2011 shows employers filled vacancies for General Accountants with ease. About
85% of general accountant vacancies were filled, with unfilled vacancies primarily being for senior positions,
although a small number remained unfilled because the preferred candidate withdrew. Vacancies attracted
an average of 28 applicants, five of whom were considered by employers to be suitable.
In 2011, the average number of applicants and suitable applicants rose markedly compared with 2010,
suggesting some excess supply of these professionals and strong competition for vacancies among qualified
accountants.
2211-12 Management Accountant
There are no shortages of Management Accountants. Employers contacted by DEEWR in 2011, who had
advertised for Management Accountants, filled all advertised vacancies across sectors and experience levels
in both metropolitan and regional areas. Advertised positions attracted an average of 25 applicants per
vacancy, with five per vacancy considered by employers to be suitable.
2211-13 Taxation Accountant
DEEWR research shows employers recruiting Taxation Accountants attracted slightly fewer suitable
applicants per vacancy than those recruiting for the other two Accountant occupations in this unit group,
although there is no evidence of shortages and they had relatively large fields of qualified applicants from
whom to chose. About 85% of taxation accountant vacancies were filled. Employers received an average of
21 applications per vacancy with three candidates per position considered to be suitable.
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) January 2012

Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) January 2012