From the Trenches to Triumph

Last week I reached the two-year mark with Tyler Wren. I took some time to reflect on what has been an interesting two years.

The UK left the EU, Liverpool won the Premier League, the Capitol Hill riots happened, and the world went into lockdown.

Closer to home, we voted against legalising weed, the Blues won a title, and Labour won a landslide election.

When I started my latest chapter in recruitment, the CA market was busy. With the usual stream of accountants heading to London, moving into the corporate world and shifting between CA firms. There was a shortage of accountants within the public practice space and a steady stream of overseas accountants to help fill the gap.

In early 2020, things started to slow down as the world began to wake up to the risks of Covid. On the 19th of March, our borders closed to non-New Zealanders, and on the 25th, we entered a nationwide lockdown. For the next couple of months, recruitment was the last thing on a firm’s minds as everybody scrambled to set their businesses up for working remotely.

We now live in our isolated but relatively normal trans-Tasman bubble. We can holiday on the Gold Coast or relax on the beach in Aitutaki. Fifty thousand fans packed into Eden Park to watch Six60 as the world watched on in envy.

Then in early 2021, business was good, and CA firms had never been busier. Those who had hung onto their jobs for dear life during 2020 now had the confidence to make a move. Businesses felt confident enough to hire again, and so started the recruitment boom we have today. Between my colleague and I, we easily have over 60 live positions from Junior to Director level, from boutique to Big Four in BAS, Tax, Audit, Corporate Finance and Insolvency. There are arguably more opportunities in public practice than there has been, well, for as long as I've been recruiting accountants.

The industry has changed and adapted because it had to. The ability to work from home/remotely is expected, with many firms allowing this to be part of a typical work setup. If we had to go into lockdown again, there's been a push to go paperless to allow for a seamless transition.

Recruitment companies downsized or withdrew from the market entirely. But as things bounce back, Tyler Wren is breaking pre covid records, and our team is growing again. It's been a rollercoaster of a couple of years, but as the world takes the vaccine and we continue our new normality, the job market will continue to boom.

There have been mixed reviews in terms of how their employers managed the lockdowns. Some struggled as others handled them well, paid their bonuses and went ahead with promotions. If you are keen to understand where you stand in the market, then now would be the perfect time to discuss what opportunities there are out there.

Get in touch,

Ben Holloway | [email protected] | 09 930 8520