Accountants and Auditors

AUTOMATION RISK
CALCULATED
71%
risk level
POLLING
64%
Based on 5,944 votes
LABOR DEMAND
GROWTH
5.6%
by year 2031
WAGES
$78,000
or $37.50 per hour
Volume
1,402,420
as of 2022
SUMMARY
JOB SCORE
4.7/10

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Automation risk

71% (High Risk)

High Risk (61-80%): Jobs in this category face a significant threat from automation, as many of their tasks can be easily automated using current or near-future technologies.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Some quite important qualities of the job are difficult to automate:

  • Persuasion

  • Social Perceptiveness

  • Negotiation

  • Originality

User poll

64% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted that it's probable this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 71% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Accountants and Auditors will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?






Sentiment

The following graph(s) are included wherever there is a substantial amount of votes to render meaningful data. These visual representations display user poll results over time, providing a significant indication of sentiment trends.

Sentiment over time (quarterly)

Sentiment over time (yearly)

Growth

Moderate growth relative to other professions

The number of 'Accountants and Auditors' job openings is expected to rise 5.6% by 2031

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2021 and 2031
Updated projections are due 09-2023.

Wages

High paid relative to other professions

In 2022, the median annual wage for 'Accountants and Auditors' was $78,000, or $37 per hour

'Accountants and Auditors' were paid 68.4% higher than the national median wage, which stood at $46,310

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Volume

Significantly greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2022 there were 1,402,420 people employed as 'Accountants and Auditors' within the United States.

This represents around 0.9% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 105 people are employed as 'Accountants and Auditors'.

Job description

Examine, analyze, and interpret accounting records to prepare financial statements, give advice, or audit and evaluate statements prepared by others. Install or advise on systems of recording costs or other financial and budgetary data.

SOC Code: 13-2011.00

Resources

Can ChatGPT pass an accounting interview?

Here's a video from Certified Accountant Kostadin Ristovski on Chat GPT and accounting, where he asks it questions which an accountant should know the answer to, he's not impressed!

If you're thinking of starting a new career, or looking to change jobs, we've created a handy job search tool which might just help you land that perfect new role.

Search jobs in your local area

Comments

Leave a comment

Kate (Highly likely) says
Every single week I see an accounting or auditing task automated.
Everyone is shifting to analysis and improvement -- which is a good thing. The machine-learning-collaborative jobs are far more interesting, anyway.
Aug 30, 2022 at 09:49 AM
Mathura.MOHAN (Moderate) says
The interpretation of law may be done more by machine learning or machine language. Only finer nuances may need expert personal intervention.
Aug 21, 2022 at 10:32 AM
Lou (Highly likely) says
It’s simple data-driven work. Easily automated. It’s also a high-wage job so the incentive to automate is high.
Mar 05, 2022 at 07:01 PM
Mohammed (Low) says
Some transactions need to be entered by humans
Feb 11, 2022 at 01:39 PM
An (No chance) says
While basic accounting can be replaced, still specialists within this field will be in demand.
Feb 07, 2022 at 07:09 PM
Future says
I'm from the future. Accountants are still boring in the metaverse.
Nov 08, 2021 at 12:37 PM
Veerakumar (No chance) says
Since this field requires more human knowledge and human's own involvement in problem-solving which a machine cannot achieve in the upcoming 20 years and if so achieved there will not be perfection in that. So I confidently say that humans cannot be replaced for this job at least for the next 20yrs in line.
Oct 14, 2021 at 01:53 PM
A smart cookie (Highly likely) says
Upon learning about blockchain 5 years ago I dropped out of my accounting program ASAP to learn programming and smart contract development. The truth is - this is going away. Jackson Hewitt learned to code to build his software. Turbo Tax and any program - Intuit / QuickBooks takes all the information. Anyone can enter their own data into a computer. The blockchain which is triple entry accounting and the worldwide decentralized network secures its data with military level + encryption and the books are settled every 10 minutes! Anyone who does not heed this message is in for a rude wake-up call. About laws - that's where smart contracts come in. Programming logic of the law - even now in DAOs as an LLC. Lawyers need to become programmers to stay at the top of the food chain. We're in for a whole paradigm shift. I'm glad I dropped out the second I learned about Bitcoin.
Oct 02, 2021 at 07:14 PM
Guts (Uncertain) says
Depends on your expertise as an accountant, depends on your role, depends whether you're liked in your team, depends whether your industry is complex (like insurance), depends on your qualifications and depends on your willingness to learn and reinvent yourself.
Not a black-and-white issue.
Imho accountants will just become business analysts or advisors.
Sep 04, 2021 at 10:38 AM
Reynold (No chance) says
The true meaning of being a great accountant is finding the grey areas & loopholes within tax codes to manipulate in favor of your client. Unless we get into a stage of life where AIs have the same level of consciousness as us humans when identifying what’s ethical or not within these grey areas.

Y’all need to chill cause accounting is here forever.

If an AI can do your job, you simply just suck as an accountant.
Aug 07, 2021 at 09:44 AM
Jake Johnson (Moderate) says
Accounting is one of those professions where there are way more jobs than people who like doing it. And it's perfect for computers. And programs have been replacing people for years. I like it, but it's going away.
Jul 16, 2021 at 08:41 PM
Esteban (No chance) says
Because in my country only accountants can sign a balance sheet, that by law, you need a university degree to do so.
Jul 13, 2021 at 11:59 AM
1234 (Uncertain) says
Data entry bookkeeping yes. Analysis and decision making based on understanding of businesses, laws etc unlikely
Jul 03, 2021 at 12:59 AM
tiyad (Low) says
you still need someone to understand for the occasion of new types of transactions and to understand what the computer did
Jun 12, 2021 at 03:55 PM
John Pollock (Highly likely) says
Accounting is a repetitive task of putting numbers in boxes and generally, the profession does it wrong. AI will do it faster and more accurate
May 06, 2021 at 01:12 PM
Shanelle (Highly likely) says
Programming will take it over also we have calculators
Apr 15, 2021 at 02:30 PM
justanotherhighschooler says
This is useful for a high schooler who hasn't even (really) decided on a career path yet-- good to see the job I'd like to have won't be taken over by The Bots in my lifetime :')
Apr 14, 2021 at 12:23 AM
mike (Low) says
Junior roles such as accounts payable, accounts receivable could be automated for sure. But as someone who has been on the profession for +15 years and have been involved in automation / RPA processes myself, I know there's a huge scope of our work that can't be automated in the foreseeable future. Lots of decision making, there's a lot that it's open to individual criteria. TBH, I don't see this profession being more likely to disappear compared to engineers, lawyers, programmers, etc.
Mar 26, 2021 at 07:16 PM
Luiz says
Blockchain has already ended up with 50% of accounting !!! In the future little manpower will be needed for some decisions!
Mar 22, 2021 at 01:06 PM
Közgazdász says
I agree that accounting is automated, but the financial statements still need to be checked by people.
Feb 26, 2021 at 03:34 PM

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