Retention's the key

What a difference a year makes. Between August last year and now, we've seen a real pendulum swing from the

A year ago the papers were full of stories on 'how do you recruit and retain staff'. Now the boot's really on the other foot, with job security and corporate stability to the fore and lots of articles about 'how do I make myself more efficient at work so I can retain my job?'

I think the issue for accountants is that while we are always needed, we're a support function. In tough times companies cut corners in the support areas because they're not directly productive. Similarly, demand for chartered firms' services has fallen because their clients aren't spending as much on things like tax planning and corporate finance. Recruitment by the larger firms is well down this year, not only due to lack of demand but because their retention rates are sky high.