Our April Technical Dinner meeting focused on the current climate in the marketplace for accounting and finance professionals as exhibited by Acsys, Inc's 2007 Annual Workplace Trends and Benefits Guide. Josh Coder, Perry Brown and Patricia Bethune conducted a very interactive presentation of the guide, followed by a great Q&A session with all those in attendance. Acsys' Guide includes the results of a survey conducted with over 4700 hiring managers within accounting and finance- including answers to questions about hiring, employee retention, benefits offered, salary information and more. The meeting was interactive and informative, as the three presenters have a combined 33 years of staffing experience in the Accounting and Finance niche market along with a collective base of 11 years Big 4 experience and 4 years industry experience (prior to making the move to recruiting).

A few highlights of the guide presentation include:

- Although growth slowed slightly in 2006 from 2005, sales did continue to grow at levels high enough to sustain low unemployment and keep our members staying busy at work!

- 90% of the participants in the survey are involved with at least one professional organization, association or networking group. 9% of those individuals are IMA members.

- In response to a question about the concern for retaining existing staff, 59% expressed some level of concern (either very or somewhat concerned).

- Although 68% of the companies we spoke with said they were adequately staffed within the accounting and finance

department, 30% said they were understaffed in that area- so those of you out there who are working long hours and struggling for new hires are not alone! (The remaining 2% were overstaffed)

- The guide also includes geographic breakdowns of salary information to include three local regions- Northern Virginia, Montgomery County, MD, and Washington, DC. Salaries are still on an up-tick, but the growth in salary ranges has slowed down in the past year.

Perry Brown mentioned that, according to the Virginia Employment Commission, unemployment in Northern Virginia (Arlington, Fairfax, Loudon and Prince William Counties) sits at 2.3%. "I was always taught that when employment is below 4%, we are at frictional or full employment". Perry went on to note that this effects the pool of talent available in the marketplace.

Patricia Bethune concluded with a summary of the consulting marketplace: "It remains a great time to be a consultant- particularly in the government contracting arena. The combination of the acquisitions of government contractors coupled with the already stringent requirements for reporting allows for more project work than we've seen over the past few years."

What does this all mean? The accounting profession continues to be a steady and rewarding place to be!

*If you were unable to attend and would like more information, feel free to contact Josh Coder at jcoder@acsysinc.com or 703-715-2100.