Australia faces a persistent accountant shortage.
There’s an estimated shortfall of around 6000 accountants by 2030 amid retirements, declining enrolments and growing demand (Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) estimates).
Demand for accounting, audit, and finance roles is forecast to reach approximately 28,000 by 2029 (Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) and Victoria University estimates). The result is staff burnout, higher error rates, client loss, and reduced service.
The problem is compounded by the fact that a lot of accounting graduates are now going into the more lucrative field of fintech
So that’s just the first problem.
But accountants have another one. They struggle to recruit for one reason. They focus on filing tax returns, crunching numbers, and making sure everything is compliant. All important stuff to run a business. The one thing they don’t prioritise: Communication. And you can’t recruit if you don’t communicate.
Here are 5 ways a copywriter can help them:
1. Writing job ads that actually attract candidates
Most accounting firm job ads read like a compliance checklist. “CA/CPA qualified. Five years experience. Proficient in Xero.” That’s not an ad — that’s just a job description. A copywriter rewrites job ads that speak to what candidates actually want to know: What’s the culture like? Will I grow here? Am I going to spend my career buried in tax returns or will I get real client exposure?
What appeals to the job seeker could be found with the company advertising the role, rather than the role itself. A job description from a copywriter in that ad is the perfect opportunity to sell the firm’s strengths to potential job seekers.
2. Building an employer brand that makes candidates choose you first
When a graduate is weighing up three offers, they Google all three firms. What they find on the website, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor either builds confidence or kills it. Most accounting firms have a careers page that amounts to a mission statement nobody believes. They also a cheap stock photo of people smiling at laptops.That’s no way to build a brand.
A copywriter helps build a genuine employer brand. This is done with the copywriter focusing on the firm’s unique value proposition on the website and social media.
3. Creating content that keeps passive candidates warm
Not every good accountant is actively looking right now. But they might be in six months. The firms that win the recruitment game aren’t just the ones with the best ads — they’re the ones candidates already know and trust when they do start looking.
A copywriter can produce short FAQ articles, LinkedIn posts, or website content that answers these questions proactively
4. Making the recruitment process feel like a relationship, not a transaction
Candidates drop out. We all know it – they ghost after interviews, or they accept the offer and then take a counter-offer the next day. A lot of that comes down to how they feel during the process — and most accounting firms make candidates feel like a number being processed, not a person being courted.
Hiring today feels a lot like online dating. Resumes are the profiles. Interviews are the first dates. Everyone’s trying to make a great impression—while quietly wondering if it’s a real match. Candidates swipe through job postings hoping for transparency and follow-up. Employers review applicants looking for the “perfect fit.” And just like dating… ghosting happens. Too often. The truth? Successful hiring, like healthy relationships, requires honesty, communication, and mutual respect. A simple “yes” or “no” goes a long way. So does being human.
A copywriter improves every touchpoint in the recruitment funnel: the acknowledgement email that makes applicants feel seen, the interview follow-up that keeps momentum alive, the offer letter that feels like an invitation rather than a legal document. These aren’t just nice-to-haves. In a market where a candidate might have three offers on the table, the firm that communicates best often wins — not the one paying the most.
5. Retaining the staff you already have
Recruitment and retention are two sides of the same coin, and right now accounting firms are haemorrhaging staff they’ve already trained. The cost of replacing a qualified accountant — advertising, recruiting, onboarding, lost productivity — easily runs into tens of thousands of dollars per person. A copywriter helps with internal communications that actually land.
Firms that that invest in both communication infrastructure and employee training outperform those that don’t — by a lot — across revenue, market share, employee engagement, and every other metric that matters. A copywriter handles the communication.
THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE — AND NEITHER DOES GOOD COPY
Australia’s accountant shortage isn’t going away.
The firms that communicate clearly will always have an edge. Leon Gettler is a copywriter who specialises in accounting firms.
Call 0411 745 193 or email leon@leongettler.com — let’s make your firm the one candidates choose first.
.
