Accountancy Jobs | Accountant Jobs

Latest Jobs

Our specialist accountancy division recruit all accounting levels, starting from newly and part-qualified accountants, payroll, credit or payable specialists, through to qualified accountants, systems, regulatory or compliance specialists, right up to CFO, finance director and heads of audit, tax, financial planning or financial reporting.

Irish jobs market reaches 20-year high, as office re-entry drives unprecedented levels of recruitment activity

Sigmar Recruitment today reports a record high number of job placements over April, May, and June 2021. The number of placements during this period is higher than any other quarter in the recruitment company’s 20-year history. Current figures are up 6% on the previous record set in 2019 before the pandemic. As one of the largest recruiters in Ireland, Sigmar has offices across the country and is present in all professional sectors. The first half of the year saw strong, consistent growth with job placements breaking all records in the month of May, with June accounting for the second-highest month ever. Commenting on the rebound of the labour market, Sigmar founding Director, Robert Mac Giolla Phádraig says: “The jobs market in Ireland has never been stronger or more buoyant than it currently is. We’re seeing several macro trends converge all at once, which is creating significant churn in the market. Remote working has literally opened up a world of new opportunities no longer bound by location. This is coupled with a rising tide of consumer confidence, as many professionals find themselves in a stronger financial position than before the pandemic. “The last 18 months has asked big questions of us all, and the humdrum of lockdown has created a desire for change which is now resulting in unprecedented numbers of people moving jobs. Employee loyalty is increasingly under question, with remote work being less enjoyable, many workers are now committed to the experience of work over the employer, adding further to the current levels of churn.” IT accounted for one-third of all job placements throughout the quarter, followed in order by Financial Services, Sales & Marketing, Accountancy, Life Science & Manufacturing, Office Support, Public Sector, Construction, Professional Services. Business confidence has also grown steadily over the course of the year, as vaccination gathered momentum. The “low-touch economy” is booming is sectors such as e-commerce, digital, and logistics. Says Mac Giolla Phádraig: “The resurgence of permanent recruitment is somewhat unique to how we’ve rebounded from previous downturns, where we typically saw flexible work return quicker.” Although the vast majority of job placement in Q2 were understandably remote, Sigmar reports that the tide is beginning to change with the majority of employers now committing to hybrid work over the coming three months. Mac Giolla Phádraig advises: “As we now choose our workplaces, at a time when the power dynamic has shifted to the employee, employers need to ensure adequate work practices to reconnect the workforce with the workplace equitably. There is an inherent risk that new workforce inequities may emerge, such as “proximity bias”, where those closest to the centre of influence get greater recognition and therefore promotion opportunities as opposed to remote workers. When it comes to individual contribution the opposite could be argued that remote workers get the benefit of having less in-office distractions and their output is therefore greater.” Mac Giolla Phádraig likens remote work to long-distance relationships, which in many cases don’t work out. “We’ve gone from “living” with our employees in an office environment to long-distance relationships, which often sees commitment recede over time. The context of location also opens up new experiences and possibilities, which are now being explored on a scale never before seen.” He adds, “if we thought the war for talent was tough, just wait for the battle of attrition. It’s now emerging as the number one challenge for businesses across the globe.”

Hiring Managers – How To Make The Most Of Your Accountancy Recruiter

From my experience hiring accountancy staff for SMEs and large multinationals, here are 5 things you need to know to get the most value from your dealings with your accountancy recruiter. 1. We want to know about the job and your company inside out Professional recruiters will want to know everything about your company when working on a position for you. This information will include: Size of the team the role is situated in When and by whom the company was founded The product or service provided Future goals and plans. Professional and credible recruiters should have a list of questions about the company make-up and culture before even asking for a job specification. If a recruiter does not look for the above information, make sure they are made aware of it as it will increase their ability to promote the company to potential hires. Our job is to sell this opportunity to our best accountancy candidates, so the more we know the better. 2. Have your accounts ready With finance roles the recruiter will be advising the candidate to review the financial accounts of a company as well as other standard information. These might not always be easily accessible so it’s a good idea to provide a soft copy of them to your recruiter to ensure that the candidates you meet in the process will be prepared for an interview and have an in depth knowledge of the financial standing of your company. 3. You don’t need to read CVs When you receive a CV from a recruiter, they will have already been screened and interviewed by the recruiter to establish that they are good enough for consideration. To save you time reading these CVs, a recruiter should use a cover sheet which will have the most relevant “USPs” of the candidate in question along with information on notice periods, any holidays planned, relevant skills etc. I would suggest having a basic company cover sheet in case your recruiter does not have one as standard, in order to streamline the process as much as possible. 4. The more you tell us, the better we can prepare your potential hires It is extremely important to outline the format of the interview process and highlight any tests or unusual stages there may be so all candidates can be aware of what to expect. The more specific information you can “arm” your recruiter with (such as interview questions that may be asked), the better the candidates will be at interview. 5. No surprises at the end The offer and acceptance stage of the process is where we all want to get to. In order to make this stage as painless as possible, the level of the role and remuneration package on offer needs to be discussed from the outset. Again, your recruiter will have spoken to the candidate about what package they are currently on and their salary expectations. From here, be honest and transparent with your recruiter and let them know what you are willing to pay, any future potential changes (i.e. permanency etc.) and also all details of the offer. It is the recruiter’s responsibility to satisfy both parties. If you have any questions about the recruitment process or if you would like to speak to me about hiring accountancy staff please call me on +353 1 4744662 or email me at mboyle@sigmar.ie