It must be music to beleaguered graduate job hunters ears — not every sector of the economy is struggling and vacancies are predicted to rise in certain areas.
The Telegraph reported how an Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) survey suggests there has been a revival in banking, insurance and accountancy — and there is further good news for those considering a career working in the latter.
Accountancy provided the biggest share of graduate jobs in 2009 — a trend also seen in previous years — accounting for 18.2% of the total graduate vacancies, according to the AGR.
Plus, Accountancy Age reports how recruitment in the accountancy market is picking up to levels not seen since 2007, with newly qualified accountants with commercial experience in particular demand.
And there is no need to worry if you don't have an accountancy degree; training is done via gaining on-the-job experience with an accounting firm and passing a series of examinations set by one of the professional accountancy bodies.
So if you'd like to know more about becoming an accountant or if you have your eye on a role at the so-called Big Four accountancy firms, join our panel of experts at 1pm tomorrow to find out more about following this career path.
The discussion is open for advance questions.
Our panel:
Louisa London is a senior manager at Hays Accountancy & Finance. The recruitment company places accountancy staff including cost accountants, analysts and management accountants in roles across both the public and private sector.
Dr Sayjda Talib is undergraduate admission director for accounting and finance at Lancaster University Management School. The school offers a BSc Accounting, Auditing and Finance degree in partnership with Ernst & Young and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS).
Jane Scott Paul is chief executive of the Association of Accounting Technicians, a qualification and membership body for accounting staff. Jane has been in this role since 1997 and she was awarded an OBE for services to the accountancy profession in 2008.
Chris Priestley is head of training, employer authorisation and review for the learning and professional development directorate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) — the professional body and qualification provider for chartered accountants.
Kay Martinez and James Boyle are student recruitment managers for accountancy company PricewaterhouseCoopers. Kay is is currently the recruitment manager for London and the south-east while James' role involves recruitment in Scotland.
Dominic Franiel is a graduate recruitment officer at professional services firm Ernst & Young. Dominic graduated with an accountancy degree three years ago and is now responsible for Ernst & Young's recruitment across several university campuses.
Shivani Patel is business relationship manager at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), a global accountancy body which offers a range of qualifications. Shivani is a qualified accountant and her role within the ACCA is to liaise with corporate and public sector employers across the UK.
Sarah Burrows is the UK student recruitment manager at the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the world's largest professional body of management accountants. Sarah is responsible for managing the student recruitment team who promote the CIMA qualifications to prospective students.
David Shute and Shabrina Khan are assistant managers in the graduate recruitment team at professional services provider KPMG. They oversee the recruitment of more than 1000 graduates and undergraduates into audit, tax and advisory roles.
We'll also be joined by Katy Donald, who joined PricewaterhouseCoopers in September 2007 as part of the graduate programme and who is currently in the third year of training for the chartered accountancy qualification.
