Salary survey - top trends for 2025

Karen Young, a director at Hays specialising in accountancy and finance, delves into the latest salary survey.

Navigating the world of work over the past 12 months has been a rollercoaster ride, with many twists and turns including economic uncertainty, government changes, ongoing cost-ofliving worries, widespread skills shortages, rapid AI advancements, flexible working tensions – and more!

Thanks to our latest research, known as the 2025 UK Salary and Recruiting Trends guide, we can look back at how these factors have impacted PQs throughout 2024 and the ways in which they are predicted to shape the finance landscape in the year ahead.

A time for nurturing talent

According to our research, almost all (92%) accountancy and finance employers experienced skills shortages in the last year, an increase compared with the year before (88%). The skills gap has reportedly had a negative impact on productivity (50%), employee morale (42%) and their ability to deliver projects (36%).

Over the past year, salaries across accountancy and finance increased by an average of 3.6% and part qualified accountants have seen larger increases (5.8%) due to strong demand but a shortage of talent. With more than three quarters (77%) of employers across the sector expecting to encounter a shortage of suitable applicants in the year ahead, it’s no wonder organisations have had to rethink their hiring strategies.

Although qualifications, experience and an existing skillset are of course valuable, it’s clear that employers are becoming more open minded about nurturing, and not just consuming, talent. While 53% of employers say it is very or quite important that an applicant has a degree, just under half (47%) say an applicant’s academic achievements are not the be-all and endall to them. Significantly, a large majority of finance employers say someone’s willingness to learn is more important than their existing skills (75%) and that they are likely to hire a professional who does not possess all the required skills, with the intention of upskilling them (77%).

AI training not yet up to scratch

Despite the widespread rise of AI, just two in 10 (20%) PQs are currently using AI tools as part of their role, and only 12% have received training or support from their employer to adopt AI technologies. Employers are evidently missing a trick though, as more than eight in 10 (84%) PQs would be willing to take part in upskilling or reskilling programmes to adopt AI in the workplace.

In today’s ever-evolving digital age, it’s crucial to seek out training opportunities, in order to be able to utilise AI tools to enhance your everyday role. Adjusting to new technologies takes trial, error and patience, but is essential for keeping up with the pace of change and ensuring you have the skills necessary to futureproof your career.

Flexible working continues into 2025

As it stands, seven in 10 (70%) finance employers offer their staff the opportunity to work in a hybrid way and close to half (48%) say this has increased talent retention across their organisation. Looking to the year ahead, eight in 10 (80%) employers say their hybrid offering will stay the same, versus 17% who anticipate their staff will be required to come into the workplace more often.

Most PQs (56%) are currently working under a hybrid model, with close to a third (29%) based fully in the workplace and just 15% working entirely remotely. As our research shows, hybrid working is on the rise, as just under half (48%) of PQs were working in a hybrid way in the year before last, compared with over a third (37%) who were based in the office and only 15% who worked fully remotely.

After delving into our exclusive research findings, PQs will hopefully feel empowered to continue their career journey in 2025 equipped with the relevant knowledge, insights and confidence to both embrace the opportunities and overcome the challenges that await.

To see the salary guide in full go to: https://www.hays.co.uk/salary-guide