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The accountancy profession is changing. Investing in young people

The National Union of Young Doctors discusses in Civitanova Marche analysing survey data from the 24 Ore Group

by Maria Carla De Cesari

4 July 2025

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Key points

The search for new paths
Compensation
Activity costs

2' min read

The profession of chartered accountant continues to focus, for the most part, on taxation and financial statements, combined with the function of statutory audit. This traditional image is confirmed by the survey carried out by the Unione nazionale giovani dottori commercialisti (National Union of Young Certified Public Accountants) and Gruppo 24 Ore to take stock of the professional outlook outlined through the lens of young people. The survey collected the realities, perceptions and desires of around 600 professionals, offering an insight into difficulties, projects and proposals in relation to the practice.

The search for new paths

Beyond the confirmations - the pillars represented by tax, financial statements and auditing - one notices, however, that the mosaic of activities is becoming more colourful, with management control, corporate crisis law, and corporate finance. And in the near future, three years from now, many are focusing on digitalisation, sustainability, wealth management.

The need to change and find new ways stems mainly from two drivers: customer demands and higher potential profitability.

So change, with difficulty, has already entered the studios, even if it finds the time factor, the limited space to plan new activities, a major obstacle.

The results of the survey will be the starting point of the discussion today at the 20th Forum promoted by the National Union of Young Chartered Accountants, dedicated to 'CambiaMenti' (ChangeMenti), which will take place at the Teatro Rossini in Civitanova Marche.

The fee

In many activities, according to the survey participants, there is the disincentive of too little remuneration: this is the case of auditing in local authorities. This segment is representative of the barriers that need to be overcome: difficulty of access to first assignments, excessive complexity of the regulatory system, significant professional risk.

Among young people, it is clear that the structure of the profession, in order not to fold in on itself, must be more open to new recruits with concrete measures, leaving aside proclamations. Trainees must receive compensation, quantified at around one thousand euros, and young professionals must be offered clear growth paths, the prospect of specialisation, and economic incentives based on results. Tools for networks and synergies must also be created, perhaps with bonuses.

The costs of the activity

The last chapter is the cost of professional activity: for almost half of the respondents, the price for practice management has increased by more than 10% per year over the last three years. More than 55% identify data portability as fundamental: without this possibility, it is practically impossible to freely and competitively manage a fundamental asset for the development of even consulting activities. All the more so in the era of artificial intelligence, seen by 47% as an opportunity (more efficiency) and by 44% as a mix of chances and threats (risk of substitution).