The Attractiveness of the Profession hub is a resource center to guide professional accountancy organizations (PAOs), firms, and young professionals in trends related to the accountancy talent pipeline. The resources featured on this page speak to the opportunities and challenges associated with becoming an accounting professional in today's world. They are intended to improve the value proposition of PAOs, as well as the attractiveness of the profession, while helping address issues that are fundamental to the public interest.
Attracting And Retaining The Next Generation Of Accountants
IFAC has also developed a two-page document with guidance help Professional Accountancy Organizations (PAOs) and professional accountancy firms coalesce around key issues facing the global accountancy profession; to facilitate conversation and share learnings; and to encourage and support local action to drive the changes needed to ensure a vibrant future for the profession. It includes guidance on the target ages and audiences for potential accountants, methods for creating pathways to the profession, and more.
We welcome users of IFAC.org to download and use this guidance as they consider new ways to engage with potential professional accountants. The document is available in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.
To address issues critical to Attractiveness of the Profession, we've broken down the content featured here into the following categories:
- Owning Our Brand & Our Narrative
- Roles & Opportunities for Today's Accountant
- New Pathways to the Profession
- Recruiting & Hiring
- Retention
- Sustainability
- Enabling Power of Technology
Owning Our Brand & Our Narrative
Presenting accountancy as a profession with strong ethics, values, and opportunities to support economies, the environment, and society at large.
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#SapnoKeShutter - An ode to the businesses across India
Mar 23, 2026 • ACCA -
The Human-Centric Digital Engine: Solving the Talent Crisis
Feb 23, 2026 • Accountancy Age -
Reimagining finance talent with purposeful, tech-enabled careers
Jan 9, 2026 • Singapore Business Review -
Joint Stakeholder Survey: Shaping IAASB and IESBA Strategies for 2028–2031
January 8, 2026 -
2025 Canadian CPA Profession Compensation Study Results
Aug 19, 2025 • CPA Canada -
The decline of the accounting major: A call to action
Aug 18, 2025 • Accounting Today -
Helping accountants to thrive in uncertain times
Aug 8, 2025 • ICAEW -
The Accounting Talent Shortage – The Accounting Technology Lab Podcast – August 2025
Aug 1, 2025 • CPA Practice Advisor -
Why International Career Mobility is Key to Attracting the Next Generation of Professional Accountants
July 18, 2025 • Madeleine Knopf -
Supporting Mental Health in the Accounting and Tax Profession
Jul 3, 2025 • CPA Practice Advisor -
What Career Advice Gets Wrong for Gen Z—and How to Fix It | ARC
Jun 26, 2025 • CPA Trendlines -
Fraud & Going Concern: Revised Standards to Enhance Public Trust
June 17, 2025 -
How Future-Proof Is the Accounting Profession?
Sep 16, 2024 • CPA Trendlines -
Case Study: Diversifying Entry into the Accountancy Profession in South Africa
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Building a Strong Brand Identity for Small- and Medium-Sized Accountancy Practices
May 21, 2024 • European Federation of Accoun… -
Embedding Professional Skepticism
March 5, 2024 -
Meet the Trailblazing Women of the Public Sector Finance World
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How Do You Explain Professional Accounting to a 5-year-old?
March 31, 2023 • Helen Partridge, Annie Brinich -
Women Take the Lead: Get to Know Accounting's Changemakers
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Professional Accountants as Business Leaders and Value Partners
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Technology
March 15, 2021 -
ISA for LCE: A Standard for Audits of Less Complex Entities
March 3, 2021 -
Understanding the International Standard on Sustainability Assurance 5000
February 26, 2021 -
Quality Management
May 17, 2019 -
Flexibility & A Transparent Corporate Culture Will Help Attract Top Talent
February 23, 2018 •Lisa Simpson, Associate Director, Firm Services, AICPA
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How Can SMPs Brand Themselves More Effectively?
March 1, 2016 •Richard Shuback, Brand Steward, Richard Shuback, LLC
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Does the Accounting Profession Suffer from a Branding Issue?
February 4, 2016 •Richard Shuback, Brand Steward, Richard Shuback, LLC
Roles & Opportunities for Today's Accountant
Looking at what professional accountants do, how they contribute to business and society, and how the role of accountants is transforming.
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Three Students, Similar Paths
May 7, 2026 • CPA Journal -
Why studying ACCA is more than numbers
Mar 23, 2026 • ACCA -
Seven in-demand skills and roles in accounting firms in 2026
Jan 27, 2026 • ICAEW -
Joint Stakeholder Survey: Shaping IAASB and IESBA Strategies for 2028–2031
January 8, 2026 -
Attracting accountants: How to future-proof the profession
Sep 22, 2025 • CPA Australia -
Mobilidade internacional é arma para conquistar novos contabilistas
Aug 8, 2025 • Contas -
Age of upheaval: the Second World War’s impact on accountants’ roles
Jul 25, 2025 • ICAEW -
ACCA Qualification redesign focuses on evolving accountancy role
Jun 26, 2025 • The Accountant Online -
Fraud & Going Concern: Revised Standards to Enhance Public Trust
June 17, 2025 -
From Entrepreneurship to Resilience: The Roles of Accountants in Business in the IPO Journey
June 11, 2025 • Laura Takamizawa -
The role of the accountancy professionals in detecting and preventing fraud, in a digital landscape: a systematic literature review
May 26, 2025 • Digital Finance -
What careers can you pursue with an accounting degree?
Apr 21, 2025 • Intuit -
Embedding Professional Skepticism
March 5, 2024 -
Tim Houston: ‘My CPA background allowed me to hit the ground running’
Sep 5, 2023 • CPA Canada -
What Skills do Financial Professionals Need to Transition to Sustainable Economies?
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The Five Opportunities That Make Accountancy a Passport to Meaningful Careers in the Private and Public Sectors
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The Transition to a Chief Value Officer – An Opportunity for Finance and Accounting Professionals
May 3, 2023 • Bikash Prasad -
Aligning the Goals of Young Professionals and Professional Accountancy
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How Can Your Firm Harness the Potential of Gen Z in the Workplace?
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Technology
March 15, 2021 -
ISA for LCE: A Standard for Audits of Less Complex Entities
March 3, 2021 -
Understanding the International Standard on Sustainability Assurance 5000
February 26, 2021 -
The CFO and Finance Function Role in Value Creation
June 25, 2020 -
Accounting for Value Creation and Encouraging the Rise of the Chief Value Officer
November 7, 2019 • Kevin Dancey, Charles Tilley -
Enabling the Accountant's Role in Effective Enterprise Risk Management
January 7, 2019 -
Quality Management
May 17, 2019 -
Building Profitable Advisory Services: Specialize Your Young Talent
New Pathways to the Profession
How training & apprenticeship programs around the world serve young professionals entering professional accounting and related fields.
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AI Temp Roles Are Losing Value, While Human Roles See Gains
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Accounting firms advised to look beyond traditional talent for new hires
May 4, 2026 • Accountants Daily -
#SapnoKeShutter - An ode to the businesses across India
Mar 23, 2026 • ACCA -
Why studying ACCA is more than numbers
Mar 23, 2026 • ACCA -
AICPA backs US bill to classify accounting as STEM discipline
Feb 10, 2026 • The Accountant -
Joint Stakeholder Survey: Shaping IAASB and IESBA Strategies for 2028–2031
January 8, 2026 -
Why International Career Mobility is Key to Attracting the Next Generation of Professional Accountants
July 18, 2025 • Madeleine Knopf -
Fraud & Going Concern: Revised Standards to Enhance Public Trust
June 17, 2025 -
Accounting technicians can help boost the PH economy: UK-based organization
Jan 17, 2025 • Mindanao Times -
We need more forensic, cyber accountants – Vice Chancellor, GTUC
Nov 18, 2024 • Ghanian Times -
Embedding Professional Skepticism
March 5, 2024 -
AICPA targets talent crunch with over 200 apprentices
Jan 2, 2024 • CFO Dive -
ISCA’s Expanded Pathways Provide New Avenues to Widen Membership
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10 steps to success in an internship or graduate role
Aug 31, 2023 • CPA Australia -
This Way to CPA: AICPA-CIMA Student Resource Center
Aug 3, 2023 • AICPA-CIMA -
Apprenticeship Pathways: An Opportunity to Widen Access into the Accountancy Profession
May 5, 2023 • Stathis Gould -
Accounting Technicians: Exploring Opportunities for the Profession (2018)
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Accounting Technicians: A Key Component of the Accountancy Ecosystem
February 23, 2023 -
Building an Accounting Technicians Scheme in West Africa: ICAN's Experience
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The Untapped Potential of Accounting Technicians
March 21, 2022 • Brian Blood -
Technology
March 15, 2021 -
ISA for LCE: A Standard for Audits of Less Complex Entities
March 3, 2021 -
Understanding the International Standard on Sustainability Assurance 5000
February 26, 2021 -
More than “Just” an Exam: The Positive Impact of Accounting Technicians in Sri Lanka
June 21, 2019 •Jazri Magdon Ismail, President, AAT Sri Lanka, and Sarah Gagnon, Technical Manager, IFAC
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Quality Management
May 17, 2019
Recruiting & Hiring
Trends and strategies for attracting, hiring, and onboarding young professionals from IFAC and accountancy organizations around the globe.
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AI Temp Roles Are Losing Value, While Human Roles See Gains
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Expanding Access and Strengthening Competence: Indonesia’s Approach to Building a Sustainable Accounting Profession
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PwC Australia revamps assurance graduate intake
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How big a threat is AI to entry-level jobs?
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Joint Stakeholder Survey: Shaping IAASB and IESBA Strategies for 2028–2031
January 8, 2026 -
Empowering Future-Ready Accountants: Building Trust and Integrity in a Digital World
Nov 24, 2025 • Ikatan Akuntan Indonesia -
2025 Trends Report - AICPA
Oct 28, 2025 • AICPA & CIMA -
The New Wave of Accounting: Why Gen Z Is Reshaping the Profession | Rachel Farris on Leaders of the Ledger
Oct 9, 2025 • CPA Practice Advisor -
PwC is training junior accountants to be like managers, because AI is going to be doing the entry-level work
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Fraud & Going Concern: Revised Standards to Enhance Public Trust
June 17, 2025 -
4 tips for accountants seeking board appointments
Jun 2, 2025 • In The Black -
Staffing Strategies for SMPs
December 10, 2024 -
Boost your career by ‘thinking like a recruiter’
May 24, 2024 • CPA Australia -
5 tips to recruit the best accounting and finance professionals
Apr 11, 2024 • CPA Australia -
Diversifying Global Accounting Talent Actionable Solutions for Progress
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Diversity and Inclusion are Key Factors for Attracting and Retaining Talent in Independent Audit
March 25, 2024 •Ibracon´s Diversity and Inclusion Committee – Institute of Independent Audit of Brazil
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Embedding Professional Skepticism
March 5, 2024 -
Increasing Diversity in the Accounting Profession Pipeline
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Five Possible Incentives for Attracting Accounting Talent
July 26, 2023 • Helen Partridge, Annie Brinich, Bruce Vivian -
Together for the Future of the Auditing Profession – Talent and Attraction Challenges in the Danish Auditing Profession
May 30, 2023 • Ulrich Haase Nielsen -
Are We Looking Beyond Hiring to Solve the Staffing Crisis?
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Collaborating to Attract New Talent to the Profession: Working with Accountancy Education Directors in MENA
November 28, 2022 • Helen Partridge, Dana Jensen, Efi M. Marcou -
Technology
March 15, 2021 -
ISA for LCE: A Standard for Audits of Less Complex Entities
March 3, 2021 -
Understanding the International Standard on Sustainability Assurance 5000
February 26, 2021 -
Accountancy Careers and Roles – A View from the Market
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Quality Management
May 17, 2019
Retention
Insights on retaining existing professional accounting talent and tips for how to improve retention rates.
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The PACT Framework: Strengthening PAOs Through Early-Career Professional Engagement
May 28, 2026 •IFAC Young Leaders Collective
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Joint Stakeholder Survey: Shaping IAASB and IESBA Strategies for 2028–2031
January 8, 2026 -
Managing Employee Burnout: A Leadership Imperative for CPA Firms
Aug 8, 2025 • CPA Practice Advisor -
Fraud & Going Concern: Revised Standards to Enhance Public Trust
June 17, 2025 -
New PICPA Insights Report Highlights the Importance of Benefits and Flexible Work Policies for Accounting Firm Leadership
Feb 27, 2025 • Morning Star -
7 Sure-Fire Ways Accounting Firms Can Attract and Retain Talent
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Diversity and Inclusion are Key Factors for Attracting and Retaining Talent in Independent Audit
March 25, 2024 •Ibracon´s Diversity and Inclusion Committee – Institute of Independent Audit of Brazil
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Embedding Professional Skepticism
March 5, 2024 -
Global Experts on PFM Reform: Increase the Value Proposition to Attract and Retain Public Sector Talent
July 27, 2023 • Alex Metcalfe, Laura Takamizawa, Cecile Bonino -
Recruit, retain, repeat: Top tips for talent
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Recruiting and retaining talent in a volatile market
Apr 1, 2023 • ICAEW -
Cost-effective solutions for attracting and retaining talent
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How to retain talent in audit
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Top firms dig deeper to retain employees
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Burnout’s Telltale Signs and How Leaders Can Better Understand Them
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Technology
March 15, 2021 -
ISA for LCE: A Standard for Audits of Less Complex Entities
March 3, 2021 -
Understanding the International Standard on Sustainability Assurance 5000
February 26, 2021 -
Quality Management
May 17, 2019 -
Attracting and Retaining New Talent: The Case for SMPs
November 30, 2015 • Mats Olsson
Sustainability: Our Big Opportunity & Responsibility
Learn how sustainability is changing the accounting profession and all the ways accountants are embracing sustainability practices in their work.
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Top 10: Sustainability Reporting Frameworks
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Commission adopts revised sustainability reporting standards to reduce administrative burdens for EU businesses while maintaining high-quality disclosures
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Adding carbon accounting to your skillset
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From Commitment to Action: Six Practical Steps for Government Climate Disclosure
June 1, 2026 • Ross Smith, Bonnie Ann Sirois, Dmitri Gourfinkel, Patrick Kabuya -
Advancing Sustainability Integration: Strengthening the Role of ISRF in Indonesia
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Climate litigation as a financial risk: evidence from a global survey of equity investors
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Breaking Down Silos: Navigating the Intersection of Environmental and Social risks for Investors
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ISO and GHG Protocol Finalize Joint Working Group to Develop Product-Level Accounting Standard
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Accountants Are Key To Driving Malaysia’s Sustainability, ESG Agenda – MIA President
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Corporate Reporting is Maturing: Capability and Judgment Must Catch Up
March 19, 2026 • Lina Lemessiou -
Preventing greenwashing: corporate ecosystem roles
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Launching ISRF: How Indonesia Is Strengthening Its Sustainability Reporting Ecosystem
February 24, 2026 • -
COP30 delivers hope and homework for global climate finance
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Joint Stakeholder Survey: Shaping IAASB and IESBA Strategies for 2028–2031
January 8, 2026 -
Sustainability reporting: Track your progress
Nov 17, 2025 • ACCA -
Strategies for Engaging Generation Z in Implementing ESG Principles in Corporations
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Fraud & Going Concern: Revised Standards to Enhance Public Trust
June 17, 2025 -
Embedding Professional Skepticism
March 5, 2024 -
Can You See Yourself Series: A “Day in the Life” of a Sustainability Reporting Senior Manager
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Championing an Integrated Mindset: Driving Sustainability and Value Creation
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Sustainability Information for Small Businesses: The Opportunity for Practitioners
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The Role of Accountants in Mainstreaming Sustainability in Business
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Doing Different Things: Approaching Sustainability with Confidence, and Your Existing Skillset
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Technology
March 15, 2021 -
ISA for LCE: A Standard for Audits of Less Complex Entities
March 3, 2021 -
Understanding the International Standard on Sustainability Assurance 5000
February 26, 2021 -
Quality Management
May 17, 2019
Enabling Power of Technology
How emerging technology is being leveraged and its potential to reshape the accounting profession.
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在生成式人工智慧時代重新思考會計教育
May 19, 2026 •IFAC Young Leaders Collective
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Reimagining finance talent with purposeful, tech-enabled careers
Jan 9, 2026 • Singapore Business Review -
Joint Stakeholder Survey: Shaping IAASB and IESBA Strategies for 2028–2031
January 8, 2026 -
How CFOs Can Lead the AI Transformation
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Rethinking Accountancy Education in a Digital Era with Gen AI
January 19, 2026 •IFAC Young Leaders Collective
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Accounting Tech Isn’t Just a Tool—In the World of Private Equity, It’s a Valuation Multiplier
Aug 19, 2025 • CPA Practice Advisor -
Jean Bouquot: AI is, above all, an opportunity for us to add more value and increase our relevance
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PwC is training junior accountants to be like managers, because AI is going to be doing the entry-level work
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The Accounting Talent Shortage – The Accounting Technology Lab Podcast – August 2025
Aug 1, 2025 • CPA Practice Advisor -
Two in five people would consider a career change in Accountancy due to AI
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Building skills for the future
Jul 14, 2025 • ACCA -
Accountancy at the nexus of sustainability, Gen AI and ethics
Jun 23, 2025 • Manila Standard -
Fraud & Going Concern: Revised Standards to Enhance Public Trust
June 17, 2025 -
Embedding Professional Skepticism
March 5, 2024 -
The State of Generative AI in the Enterprise
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Future-proofing a career through AI fluency
Jun 22, 2023 • CPA Australia -
Technology
March 15, 2021 -
ISA for LCE: A Standard for Audits of Less Complex Entities
March 3, 2021 -
Understanding the International Standard on Sustainability Assurance 5000
February 26, 2021 -
The Impact of Technology on the Desired Skills of Early Career Accountants
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ICAI Digital Learning Hub
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Quality Management
May 17, 2019 -
IFAC Webinar: A Future Model to Advance International Accountancy Education
January 10, 2019 •IFAC
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Will Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Accounting Replace the Accountants of Tomorrow?
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Exploring Artificial Intelligence & the Accountancy Profession: Opportunity, Threat, Both, Neither?
Attracting Talent to the Public Sector
Examining the importance of professional accountants to the public sector.
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Joint Stakeholder Survey: Shaping IAASB and IESBA Strategies for 2028–2031
January 8, 2026 -
Advancing Women in the Accountancy Profession: From Advocacy to Action
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Fraud & Going Concern: Revised Standards to Enhance Public Trust
June 17, 2025 -
Embedding Professional Skepticism
March 5, 2024 -
Global Experts on PFM Reform: Increase the Value Proposition to Attract and Retain Public Sector Talent
July 27, 2023 • Alex Metcalfe, Laura Takamizawa, Cecile Bonino -
Broadening the Accountancy Profession’s Reach in the Public Sector
July 19, 2023 -
Meet the Trailblazing Women of the Public Sector Finance World
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A Global Guide for Professionalisation in Public Sector Finance
November 17, 2022 -
The Rise of Female Accountants in the Public Sector: Saudi Arabia Case
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Enabling an Effective Public Sector Finance Workforce
May 31, 2022 -
Public Finance Professionals and the Fight to Reduce Inequality: Where Policy and Delivery Meet
February 8, 2022 • Rob Whiteman -
Technology
March 15, 2021 -
ISA for LCE: A Standard for Audits of Less Complex Entities
March 3, 2021 -
Understanding the International Standard on Sustainability Assurance 5000
February 26, 2021 -
African Professionalization Initiative: Partnering to Professionalize Accounting and Auditing in the Public Sector
Jul 4, 2020 • African Professionalization I… -
Accelerating Public Sector Learning in Africa: A Leap Forward for the African Professionalisation Initiative
- Attractiveness of the Profession
- Professional Accountancy Organization (PAO) Development
- Public Sector
January 6, 2020 •Bruce Vivian, Senior Technical Manager – Professionalization, AFROSAI-E and Marta Russell, Technical Manager, IFAC
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Quality Management
May 17, 2019
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