As New Zealand emerges from the aftermath of Covid-19, one thing is clear. The labour market is bouyant and vacancies for Accountants in Tauranga has risen.
Seek.co.nz has 68 accounting vacancies advertised in Tauranga alone, including several specialisations:
- Financial Accounting & Reporting
- Business Services & Corporate Advisory
- Financial Managers & Controllers
Leading recruitment agency, Hays, who have an office in Tauranga, have stated that accounting roles are facing a supply shortage of candidates for both permanent and temporary non-qualified roles (The skills most in-demand in 2022).
Tauranga recruitment specialists, Beyond Recruitment’s Accounting, Finance & Financial Services team have also observed that this sector of the market is gorwing steadily. Citing data from Stats NZ they observe that the required skilset is changing.
Automation has taken over much of the transactional processes, and many tasks that would have taken a full day to complete now happen at the push of a button. Consequently, a different set of skills is now required…
BEYOND RECRUITMENT
Beyond list four key attributes employers are looking for in Finance candidates:
- Soft skills over teachable technical skills
- Tech-savvy – Experience with reporting tools like Power BI and large FMIS systems (e.g. Oracle, TechOne)
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to easily translate financial jargon to accommodate stakeholders
- Innovation and the ability to automate transactional processes
They go on to note that, rather than spending time scanning invoices, Accountants have taken a more advisory-based role, allowing them to serve as a business partner rather than just a BAU transactional processer. Business advisory takes many forms depending on the client and the development stage their business is in:
- Startup – A young electictrician wants to start out on his own. Accountants can help with arranging finance, crafting strategy, business plans, business structure, cashflow projections, budgets, trading forecasts.
- Emerging – A Tauranga fencing business is enjoying greater demand. An accountant can support them on their growth journey, guiding them through this stage of business’ life. They’ll help with cashflow forecasting, systems and procedures, and strategic planning.
- Established – A heat pump installer Accountants look at the balance beyond the books as they develop business growth strategies and advise on management reporting, debt advisory and capital raising.
- Expanding – A heat pump company is ready to scale up in Tauranga. Accountants review, forecast and diagnose areas for you to penetrate or pivot into, without compromising your core business values. This could extend to mergers and acquisitions, debt recovery, asset security, tax structure and planning, and governance frameworks.
- Exiting – A successful retailer is ready to retire. Succession planning helps to clarify your company’s journey ahead and solidifies future plans. It also ensures leadership continuity and that your company retains and develops intellectual capital for the future.
Another key observation from Beyond’s report is that the trend of candidates relocating to the regions also continues as interest rate hikes and rising housing costs bite.
So, right now, a career in accounting is looking great in Tauranga.
Need more informations? Consider the following resources to find out more about starting a career in Accounting here in the Bay.
Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand website – information on becoming a chartered accountant
Tauranga Business Administration and Technology Courses
Tauranga Business Management Courses
