Robert Walters survey finds that good work-life balance is key to job satisfaction of accountants

Over a third of accountants nominated good work-life balance as the factor that makes them most happy and content in a job, according to a recent survey of job-seekers by specialist accounting recruiterRobert Walters.

According to the survey of almost 650 accounting professionals registered with Robert Walters, good work-life balance makes them most happy and content in a job (34% of respondents), followed by opportunities for career progression (23%) and good salary and bonuses (17%). Similarly, the majority of respondents nominated poor work-life balance as the factor that makes them most unhappy in a job (21%), followed by poor organisational culture (20%) and poor salary and bonuses (20%).

In contrast, a separate survey of over 100 hiring managers found that employers focus most on selling their organisational culture to candidates during the recruitment process (38%), followed by opportunities to work on interesting/challenging projects (23%) and flexible working arrangements (13%). When asked which factor they thought was the primary driver for staff leaving, the majority of employers answered 'to earn higher salaries' (37%), followed by 'to gain more opportunities for career progression' (35%) and 'to achieve a better work-life balance' (14%).

Commenting on the results, Robert Walters' Associate Director – Accounting, Brett Rose, says, "These findings are consistent with what we hear when we speak to candidates on a day-to-day basis. While salary will always be important, in the current market we're seeing lots of candidates are primarily looking to join organisations that can offer work-life balance and flexible working conditions. This is particularly true of candidates coming from practice."

In other findings, 58% of accountants surveyed expect to receive a salary increase in the next 12 months, with the majority of respondents (35%) expecting their pay to increase by 1 - 5% or between 5 - 10% (23%). Worryingly for employers, 49% of accountants surveyed will seek to leave their current company if they do not receive a pay rise in the next 12 months.

For the most up to date recruitment trends and salary movements within accountancy and finance please visit our Employment Trends.

About Robert Walters
Robert Walters is one of the world's leading global recruitment consultancies, specialising in the placement of permanent, contract and temporary positions across all levels of seniority. Our teams of professional consultants are renowned for their professionalism, integrity and exceptional recruitment consultancy services. Using a flexible approach to recruitment, we are committed to matching client needs to candidate aspirations to create mutual benefit for both. In Australia we have offices in Adelaide, Brisbane, Chatswood, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.