Digitization is “in full swing” so to speak, and we have often been asked the last few months if we would not be sorry that our technology will replace the work of so many people. For one, the assumption that technology destroys work in the medium and long term is in our view wrong. Secondly, the accounting reality is quite different. The buzzword is not “accountants without jobs” but simply a shortage of skilled workers.
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At first glance, you do not really want to believe that. Intuitively one would expect that software developers, mathematicians or physicists are the most demanded on the job market. Various studies show; Bookkeepers, trustees/tax consultants and controllers have always been in first places lately.
Highly-paid simple work in accounting
The impact of this development is serious for the cost of accounting. I often hear that it is very difficult to find people, for example, for payables. So for those accounting tasks that are repetitive, purely procedural and not formative. As always, when something is in short supply, of course, prices go up.
The salaries that are sometimes paid, as I get from trustees/tax consultants, are sometimes quite similar to those in software development. On the other hand, of course, not the same earnings opportunities in business. The consequence of this: Ongoing, processing accounting becomes more expensive despite all automation and for trustees/tax consultants to the minus business.
Anticipate technological evolution as a price driver
If you ask outside of the industry if it still needs an accountant in the future, you quickly get the answer that in the future everything will make a machine. The stupid thing is; The reality is rather different. The accounting software industry is lethargic, bored and fed up and has not been able to provide true comprehensive paradigm shifts in the way accounting is done. The reason this is so simple is quite simple: there was zero economic compulsion to do that.
This public perception of the job profile means that many young professionals avoid accounting. This leads to a shortage of skilled workers, which in turn leads to salaries rising, costs increase and economic compulsion suddenly arises. This in turn increases the pressure on technology providers and, as in our case, creates excellent opportunities in the market.
“I love-hate my job”
I’ve been able to talk to hundreds of accountants and tax accountants over the past 2 years, and if I’ve learned anything about how these people relate to your work, it’s that most of them love-hate maintain simple accounting work.
“Entering and checking vouchers, voting statements is just great fun.”
Quote from “Nobody, never”
You hate them because it’s just tedious and meaningless work. You love them because it’s a solid job and because you get what’s coming out of it, the picture of a company’s financial position, the order, the clarity, and the decision-making that comes with it.
It’s like finding a big map of where you’re right now. THAT is cool, it’s fun because it creates direction and can lead the way.
Accountants are conscientious people – they deserve an upgrade
With all the conversations, I began to really like accountants. They are very conscientious, clever people, who are very ready for action. Almost all in the processing accounting department want to go there and devote themselves to financial statements or creative or controlling financial work. And they deserve this upgrade.
Away with the banal work in accounting
I think the time is ripe for this paradigm shift. That’s why we do Parashift. At first, we thought that trustees/accountants and accountants would perceive us as enemies or destroyers. But the opposite is true; the arms could not be more open to receiving us. If one understands the tendencies in the market one quickly understands why.
In the many conversations with prospective clients we were allowed to lead, there is no question of existing people being fired. On the contrary, we see that by using our technology, this upgrade from trivial work to more highly skilled work is actually taking place. That’s great and motivates us to act as vehemently as possible, fast and radical.
In the end, it looks like this is a development that only winners know. And the shortage of skilled workers not only does not matter to us – no, we are glad that it exists and will pass it on. He’s helping us bring our vision of accounting, real-time accounting, to market faster and easier.
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