What's driving the surge?
Rebecca Olds
The City Journals
Wasatch Front jobs in the accounting industry are anticipated to grow 33 percent before 2032 — tops in the country — compared to a national average of 4 percent nationwide, according to Forbes.
Four other cities in the country — Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Florida; Tucson, Arizona; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Tulsa, Oklahoma — made the top five list.
Christopher Scott, a financial reporting state accountant for Utah and a Sandy resident, said it’s not a surprise to him that Salt Lake City made the top of the list because of the focus on the industry, educational opportunities and job opening outlook in the state.
“Utah has always been able to build up industry and attract businesses,” Scott said. “It’s just a lot more businesses, a lot more people coming here, and it’s just creating more opportunities, especially in accounting; these big organizations and businesses need accountants.”
Scott noted that the constant growth and expansion happening in Utah is leading to “a wider need for accountants in Utah, especially right now.” This growing demand for accountants makes Utah an attractive place for the accounting profession.
Utah is also home to the branches of the four largest accounting firms in the country, according to Forbes: Deloitte, PwC, Ernst & Young (EY) and KPMG.
Scott recently earned his Master of Professional Accounting degree with an emphasis in forensic accounting from Colorado State University Global online. His first job was at Salt Lake County as an accountant. He said that resources not only at the university but from the county and state, including financial help, allowed him to work and continue his accounting education online.
“I would say CSU has definitely been the biggest help as far as getting me through getting those certifications, like, what would be the best route to get them, maintain them and pay for them,” Scott said.
In addition to online training, schools in the state like Brigham Young University, the University of Utah and Utah State University offer competitive programs for the accounting field.
The Utah Department of Workforce Services (DWS) anticipates a large job surge in the field of accountants and auditors in Utah, at a rate “faster than average employment growth with a high volume of annual job openings.” The department projects that statewide, about 1,810 annual positions will be open for accountants, the majority of the positions (1,050) being in the Salt Lake Metro area.
“The need for replacements, rather than business expansion, is projected to make up the majority of job openings in the coming decade,” the DWS outlook said. “Demand for accountants may lead to good prospects for entry-level positions.”