Accountants Fall Out Of Favor With Small Business Employers

A new report from Indeed.com pinpoints the most in-demand professionals for small business employers, but it’s what’s not at the top of the list that has analysts surprised.

Recent reports said Indeed’s analysis found “business analyst” to be the most in-demand small business finance job, followed by “business development manager” and “data analyst.”

Notably absent from the top 10 list is “small business accountant.”

“In today’s small business world, the person who keeps track of the numbers may be less important than the person who can tell you what those numbers mean,” reflected reports in New Technology Tips.

Instead, half of the top 10 jobs on the list include some type of analyst position, with systems analyst, business systems analyst and senior business analyst also landing on the chart.

“It is interesting that we are seeing business analysts rise to the top of the list, as small businesses have traditionally relied on accountants in their growth phase,” said Indeed’s senior vice president of human resources Paul Wolfe in a statement. “The healthy economy brings a need for companies to know where their business is thriving financially (or not) to help make decisions for the future.”

The trend could be attributed to the rise of small business accounting software that largely automates many tasks for SMEs and their accountants. As more of these accounting solutions go digital, there is more data available to analyze and provide to small businesses with insights about their financial positions and performance.

Indeed’s report follows last year’s analysis by the company found while SMEs are hiring, just 22 percent of job listings for financial professionals were posted by small businesses. That suggests larger enterprises are demanding financial professionals far more than small businesses, according to Indeed.com’s economist Daniel Culbertson.