The past few years have given us a deep appreciation for how quickly the unexpected can upend our assumptions. And there’s no question thatuncertainty—around everything from inflation and macroeconomic volatility to geopolitical tensions and regulatory shifts—has dominated discussions at organizations in all industries and regions.
Still, some emerging trends within the accounting field have gained such momentum in recent years that continued acceleration in 2023 seems all but certain. As accounting leaders look to the year ahead, here are three predictions about the seismic shiftsreshaping the finance function—and why leaders would be wise to lean into these trends sooner rather than later.
1. Your Technology Strategy Will Become Your Talent Strategy
Hiring and retaining talentis one of the top challenges CFOs will face, and understanding what employees want can help ease that challenge. For many, the answer is meaningful work, and CFOs knowtechnology plays a rolein this. A globalsurveyof 260 CFOs found that nearly half (48%) plan to invest in technology to streamline finance tasks. Even more striking, nearly all (99%) of those making technology a priority agree that technology updates will become even more important for both attracting and retaining employees.
For finance and accounting teams, doing meaningful work is about doing more than manual data aggregation or managing clunky spreadsheets day in and day out. Technology can automate manual processes such as these, enabling staff to focus on more value-added work, such as identifying trends from the data to help the business understand the “why” behind the numbers. And this will become increasingly crucial in a talent market where skilled finance workers are at an all-time premium. According toDeloitte, 82.4% of public company hiring managers for finance and accounting report talent retention as a big challenge. Investing in technologies that automate core processes and streamline user experience will be paramount to building—and retaining—a skilled and agile finance team.
2. The Journey to Zero-Day Close Will Drive Further Adoption of Accounting Automation Through Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
传统上,协调财务报表the end of a reporting period—whether monthly, quarterly, or annually—has been a labor-intensive process that can take weeks to complete. But an arduous, lengthy close isn’t only a resource drain; it also slows the speed at which data can be analyzed and information gets into the hands of decision-makers. This is a critical vulnerability in today’s business environment of high uncertainty and rapid change, where actionable information is rapidly perishable.