If you’ve been paying attention to accounting industry news over the past few years, you’ve probably experienced a bit of whiplash. Not long ago, the story of the day was a major talent shortage. A 2024 CNBC report shared that more than 300,000 U.S. accountants and auditors left their jobs in just two years—a 17% decline. The entire industry struggled to find qualified candidates, and companies were raising entry-level salaries and competing hard for a shrinking pool of talent. Accounting major enrollment was declining for several consecutive years, and the number of accounting graduates had been declining for nearly a decade, with a steep drop between 2021 and 2024.
By 2025, the narrative shifted. Some of the same accounting firms that couldn’t hire fast enough began reducing headcount. Questions about AI’s potential impact on white-collar jobs were becoming hard to ignore. The profession that couldn’t attract enough people was prompting early career professionals to question its long-term viability.
The Accounting Pipeline is Rebounding
Something that has gotten less attention lately is the recovery of the accounting talent pipeline. Data published in June 2026 by the AICPA shows that enrollment in four-year undergraduate accounting programs rose 8.9% from spring 2025 to spring 2026—the third consecutive year of increases. Also:
- Total undergraduate accounting enrollment grew 5.7% year over year, compared to just 1.3% growth across all majors.
- Accounting enrollment outpaced growth across business, management, and marketing majors combined.
- In 2025, first-time CPA Exam candidates reached their highest level since 2018.
That’s a much different picture than the one of a few years ago, and it does suggest that interest in accounting as a career is increasing.
What’s Actually Happening at the Big Four
The reductions at the Big Four are real, but the circumstances are worth understanding. First, the details: PwC announced in 2025 that it would reduce U.S. campus hiring by roughly a third by 2028—from 3,200 junior hires to about 2,200. The firm cited technological change and historically low turnover as the main drivers. KPMG made the decision in April 2026 to lay off 4% of its U.S. advisory (consulting) workforce, cut 10% of its U.S. audit partners, and shut down its federal audit practice entirely.
The Big Four ramped up hiring aggressively during the 2021-2022 post-pandemic boom, and fewer people have been leaving than expected in the years since. That created staffing surpluses that firms are now working through. In KPMG’s case, new AI audit tools were also cited as introducing redundancy at the manager level. The causes vary by firm and by practice area, but these are firm-level adjustments, not a signal that the profession itself is shrinking. In fact, ICAEW reports that all four Big Four firms still plan to hire significant numbers of junior professionals this year. The firms are adapting to a changed environment, not stepping back from early-career recruitment altogether.
How Much is AI Affecting Accounting Jobs?
There’s plenty of buzz on what AI means for accounting careers right now. Roles built around routine, rules-based tasks—like accounts payable processing, data entry, and basic transaction categorization—are already being affected. However, the outlook looks different for accountants whose jobs involve analysis, client communication, and complex reporting. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects 5% employment growth for accountants and auditors through 2034, compared to a 6% decline for bookkeeping clerks.
Why such a big difference? Because professional-level accounting work requires human skills that AI can’t fully replace, like judgment, interpretation, and professional skepticism.
Thomson Reuters’ 2026 Future of Professionals Report surveyed more than 1,800 tax, audit, and accounting professionals about what they require of AI tools used in “fiduciary-grade work.”
- 94% said AI tools must be grounded in authoritative, verified content (not generalizations or speculation)
- 90% said AI tools must produce reasoning that can be explained and defended.
The standards professionals are setting for AI reflect something important: accountability remains with the accountant, and AI tools are exactly that: tools. As routine tasks get automated, the demand for accountants with critical thinking skills goes up.
Are the Predictions Already Shifting?
Some of the boldest predictions about AI displacing workers are already being revised. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that several tech executives who had predicted significant job losses just a year prior were walking those claims back.
We spoke with our very own Ken Bardsley, managing director of strategic partnerships at TGRP Solutions and a former senior vice president and controller of a NYSE-listed company. Ken spent decades on the client side, hiring, building, and leading large accounting and finance teams at companies including Wow!, Western Union, and Qwest Communications, before moving into his current role working closely with companies across Denver. He’s seen enough disruption cycles in the profession to have a longer view than many.
“A while back, there was a lot of talk about offshore outsourcing accounting roles to save costs,” Ken says. “A lot of that didn’t work out the way companies expected. The quality wasn’t there, and the people who were worried about being replaced mostly weren’t.”
AI may not follow the exact same path, of course. But if history is any guide, professionals who do best in uncertain times are the ones who adapt and embrace new methods rather than freeze in panic. “The really manual tasks will be affected, and some already are,” Ken says. “But anything that requires analytical thinking isn’t being replaced.”
Timeless Career Advice
Ken offers a few pieces of advice that apply at any career stage or level:
- Get comfortable with the tools. “Figure out how to use AI to your advantage,” he says. “Use it for research, for drafting memos, for the things it does well.” The professionals who will be most in demand are the ones who pair strong technical judgment with a willingness to learn how artificial intelligence tools work.
- Say yes to the hard projects. Early in a career especially, the work that feels like a stretch is usually the work that shapes a career long term. Professionals who raise their hands for unfamiliar projects like merger integrations or system implementations tend to find that they open doors. “The foundation built early tends to be what a long career stands on,” Ken says.
- Stay connected even when you’re not actively looking. Ken’s view is that there’s never a downside in expanding your network or helping others out. “I never turned down a recruiter call in my career, even when I wasn’t interested in moving. I’d say to a recruiter, ‘I might not be looking, but tell me what kind of candidate you’re looking for.’ You always want people to see you as a resource.”
Transition, Not Decline
According to Intuit’s 2026 analysis of the U.S. accounting job market, accountants are classified as “very hard to hire,” with employers across industries competing for experienced talent. The BLS projects more than 124,000 accounting and auditing job openings every year through 2034.
Here in Colorado, the Colorado Workforce Development Council’s 2025 Talent Pipeline Report projects 3,793 annual openings for accountants and auditors from 2024 to 2034. The report acknowledges that “there is much uncertainty surrounding this topic and the future relationship of AI and the labor market.” That’s a pretty honest assessment of where things stand today.
The loudest predictions about AI eliminating white-collar jobs broadly are already being revised, and the skills that will define long, resilient careers in accounting are evolving. Professionals who will fare best are not waiting to see what happens. They’re already asking what kind of accountant they need to become.
That’s a question TGRP Solutions thinks about constantly—for the candidates we work with and the companies we serve across Denver.
