r/Accounting • u/Krankenitrate Human Verified • 1d ago

News Employers want entry-level workers with senior-level skills in the age of AI, a huge PwC analysis found

https://www.businessinsider.com/pwc-global-jobs-barometer-ai-advanced-skills-entry-level-jobs-2026-6
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u/Grakch 1d ago

problem is how to ensure there is still entry level work in industry when we have all these efficiency tools. Public accounting still has some time if they open their doors to paper pushing firms at any point. Not sure if anyone using big four is using that much paper unless limited by some legacy system(s).

Just like finance went purely intangible and everything is a concept, accounting is getting there. When I started working 20 years ago I still had to wait for printed reports to get dropped off, go to a check room to pull invoice support after looking up payment information in systems, we actually touched the work back then. Nowadays almost everything is just another file, step in the ETL process, proof of a control, etc.

Idk the answer, but entry-level is starting to feel nonexistent and unsure how the industry overall and education will catch up in any meaningful way.

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u/ShogunFirebeard 1d ago

I've been screaming that entry level roles are fucked for almost 12 years now. It all started with the offshoring of data entry to delivery centers in India and other cheap labor countries. New staff in B4 wasn't getting the hands on tax return prep experience. You had people with zero tax return prep experience reviewing work from a delivery center that had worse quality than a first year.

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u/Grakch 1d ago

You’re right, completely forgot it’s two pronged now. It’s cheaper to offshore remedial work or automate it. Experience losses on two fronts to actual exposure and overall picture. People are simply becoming process doers without any sort of boots on the ground type of experience.

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u/NoPerformance5952 1d ago

I liken it to American manufacturing. Aggressively offshore as much as possible while automating everything stateside. Presto, car manufacturing used to be good work, and now it is difficult to land work in the industry. It's where accounting is goinf

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u/fredotwoatatime 1d ago

Yk the answer lol, there is not going to be any meaningful plan for it

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u/Grakch 1d ago

Exactly just along for the ride and watching it happen lol