The mid level crunch: how accounting and certified public accounting firms can attract and keep brilliant people in a changing market
A partner in Manchester told me something that still sits with me. It was late April. The team had been living on coffee and client calls. Two seniors had left in the same week, a manager was on the edge of burnout, and the inbox felt like a rising tide. He looked tired and said, I am proud of our work, but I am scared that the talent we need does not want the life we are offering.
That sentence is the story of the market right now. The work is still important. Clients still need sharp minds on complex issues. Yet the world of talent has shifted. People want more clarity, more growth, more breathing space, and more trust. Many firms can feel the shift, but do not have the language or the rhythm to answer it. This post is for leaders who want to change that story without losing the heart of the profession they love.
At ePeople we live inside this tension every day. We help accounting and certified public accounting firms hire well, and we watch what makes candidates lean in and what makes them step back. This is a field guide to attracting and keeping great people in a market that rewards patience, humanity, and smart planning over last minute scrambles.
What has changed and why it matters
The first change is the rise of choice. A strong accountant or auditor can now choose between public practice, in house roles, high growth companies, or remote first boutiques. When choice expands, people listen more closely to how a firm treats them. They ask how the busy months feel. They want to know how learning works in practice. They care about who will coach them when the numbers are messy and the client is late.
The second change is the rhythm of work. Many professionals grew up in a world that proved they can deliver without sitting in one room all week. They still value in person time, but they expect some control over where they work and when they do deep work. A firm that plans for presence with intention wins trust. A firm that treats presence as a proxy for effort loses ground.
The third change is the meaning of career movement. People want progress they can see. That does not have to mean promotion every year. It does mean visible skill growth, honest feedback, and a path that feels fair. When progress is invisible, people go looking for it elsewhere.
These changes matter because they show up in outcomes leaders care about. Offer acceptance rates fall. Notice periods become exits. Teams work longer to cover gaps. Partners spend more time interviewing than they want. Client experience suffers. Everyone feels a little more tired than they should.
Why the mid level is under the most pressure
Firms tell us the same story across cities and service lines. Graduate hiring is steady. Senior manager hiring is strategic and rare. The real crunch sits in the middle. Seniors, experienced associates, assistant managers, and new managers carry the heaviest load. They review, they train, they meet clients, and they keep deadlines honest. They are also the most likely to be tempted by roles that promise fewer evenings, a strong manager who will coach them, and a salary that reflects their contribution.
If you fix the mid level, you stabilise everything else. Juniors stay because they can see role models who are not exhausted. Partners breathe because the review layer is strong. Clients relax because the team in front of them looks the same from quarter to quarter.
What candidates tell us they want now
When we ask candidates to be candid, they say similar things.
They want managers who teach, not only managers who chase. They want a team rhythm that respects home life during the quiet months and shares the load during the busy months. They want clear expectations on travel and presence. They want real tools that remove repetition and help them focus on judgement. They want honest pay that respects the cost of living. They want their firm to take learning as seriously as billing.
They do not expect easy days. They do expect fair days. When a firm makes this real, offers land and people stay.
How firms can reshape the offer without losing the business case
You do not need beanbags, slogans, or a glossy campaign. You need to align what you already value with how you design the work. Here is what that looks like.
Make your promise simple and measurable
Write down the promise you want to make to your team and turn it into practices. For example, you might promise that every senior has a clear learning plan, two client sectors to specialise in, and a named coach. You might promise that the team will keep at least one evening a week clear during the rush, and that partners will protect it. You might promise that people will hear about pay and progression at the same time each year, with criteria they can prepare for. Keep your promises small and real. Small and real beats grand and vague every time.
Build an always on pipeline rather than hire from empty
Reactive hiring pushes you into a corner. By the time a resignation lands, the clock is already ticking. A warm pipeline changes everything. Agree the roles you will always need. Keep a living shortlist for those roles. Meet people ahead of time, even if it is only a short call with a partner and a hiring manager. When the opening appears, you are choosing from people you already know. This is where a subscription approach to recruitment helps, because it keeps the market warm without tying you to a percentage of salary. It also calms the culture. Your team knows that help is coming because the pipeline is real, not theoretical.
Redesign the first ninety days
The first ninety days decide whether a new hire becomes a long term team member. Give them one client that is stable so they can learn your way without panic. Give them one client that stretches them with someone kind at their side. Give them a clear scorecard. Set two meetings a month with their coach. Put a partner check in on the calendar before day one. Do not leave any of this to chance.
Teach managers to manage
Many managers in public practice were promoted for technical strength. They still need practical help with the human side of the job. Teach them how to plan a week for a mixed team. Teach them how to run a one to one that builds trust. Teach them how to give feedback that keeps dignity intact. Teach them how to spot early signs of burnout and how to ask for help. When a manager grows, three people stay. The manager, the person above them, and the person below them.
Use technology to remove friction, not to control
Your firm probably has more tools than it needs. People feel watched by some and helped by others. Choose the ones that remove copy and paste work and support judgement. A simple example is time spent on document chase. Many teams still lose hours each week chasing clients for the same files. Use tools that automate reminders and centralise receipts so your people can spend their focus on what those files mean. Technology should give your team back thinking time. When tools feel human, adoption follows.
Offer growth that is more than a new title
Give people ways to grow inside your firm without waiting for the next rung. Create micro rotations. Let a senior spend one morning a week on a sector project, or a system improvement, or a coaching circle for new graduates. These small changes lift morale and build capability. They also make your firm feel alive.
Talk about presence like adults
Most candidates want some together time. They also want to avoid pointless travel and empty days in a half full office. Be clear about when it helps to be together and why. Link presence to activities that benefit from it. For example, training, first week onboarding, complex client reviews, or team planning. When you treat presence as a craft decision rather than a blunt rule, trust grows.
Pay with respect and explain your logic
Money is not the only reason people move, but it is never far from the decision. Benchmark often. Share the thinking behind your ranges. Reward the work that is often invisible, like mentoring a graduate who grows three times faster because someone took time. When a person understands how you value them, they do not have to guess.
The story your employer brand should tell
Every firm has a story that lives in the corridors. Put that story in public where candidates can feel it.
Show your managers, not just your partners. Show a real week during the busy period and the quiet period. Show how you run learning. Show the charities you support. Show your interview process and the kinds of questions you ask. Show people who joined from industry and why they came back to practice. Show an honest day, then show the support that makes the day worth it.
Good candidates can sniff out a script. Give them a window, not a billboard.
A practical plan you can start this quarter
You do not have to do everything at once. Pick five moves and commit to them.
First, name your three most common roles by location and service line, and begin an always on pipeline for each.
Second, redesign the first ninety days and write the plan down in one page. Share it with your team.
Third, run a manager clinic once a month focused on a single skill. Make it short, practical, and safe.
Fourth, review your job descriptions and remove the noise. Write them like a person would speak. Include salary ranges and the interview steps.
Fifth, choose one technology pain point that wastes the most time and fix it before the next busy period.
If you want a sixth, create a small listening group of seniors and assistant managers. Ask them two questions. What is one small change that would help your week. What is one practice we should protect with our life. Act on the first and celebrate the second.
How ePeople can help without drama
Our work is simple at heart. We build calm into your hiring. We create a living shortlist for the roles you will always need. We calibrate on skills, culture, and salary so the interviews you run feel worth the time. We share what we see in the market in plain language so you can plan with confidence. We offer a subscription relationship when you want steady support rather than a spike of activity that ends with a fee tied to salary. We also offer a clear fixed fee when you only need one strategic hire. Either way, the price is transparent and the goal is the same. Better teams, calmer quarters, and partners who can get back to serving clients.
A story of a firm that chose calm
A regional firm in Bristol began the year with three openings and a tired team. The partners were kind, the work was good, but every search felt like a sprint and people were leaving for in house roles. We started by listening. We found that new starters felt lost in month one, managers were carrying too many reviews, and interviews were stretched across weeks because diaries were packed.
Together we built a ninety day onboarding plan, moved interviews to two set afternoons each week, and began a living shortlist for audit seniors, management accountants, and tax seniors. We introduced two great managers from our network to lead a coaching circle for new graduates. Within one quarter the offer acceptance rate climbed, new starters felt supported, and managers reported that weeks felt more predictable. The partners said the best change was not a number. It was the mood in the office.
The heart of the matter
The world has changed, but the core of the profession has not. This is still a craft that relies on judgement, care, and trust. It is still about helping clients make better decisions with clean information. When your firm treats its people with that same care, talent stays and talent comes.
You do not need to be perfect. You do need to be human, clear, and consistent. Pick a few practices that honour the lives your people want to live. Build a pipeline that lets you hire from strength rather than fear. Teach your managers to be the leaders they wish they had. Use technology to give people time to think.
If you do these things, you will feel the weight lift. Interviews will become conversations. Offers will land. Teams will look forward again. Clients will notice. The partner in Manchester found that path. His team still works hard when the season demands it. They also leave on time most evenings in March, and they have a pipeline that means holidays do not cause panic. He looks less tired now. He looks proud.
If you would like help building that calm into your hiring, we would love to be your partner. We will bring you a simple plan, a warm network, and a way of working that respects your time and your budget. The work is worth it, and so are your people.
