Top 10 accountancy and finance salary increases in Ireland

The accountancy and finance job market is expected to be buoyant in the year ahead, with many professionals open to moving roles and most employers planning on hiring.

However, with strict hiring criteria intensifying hiring struggles and skills shortages, employers need to be more flexible with their candidate requirements, otherwise their talent pool will be extremely limited.

In our Ireland Salary and Recruiting Trends 2025 guide, we gained insights from professionals and organisations in the accountancy and finance industry, providing a comprehensive overview of salaries, hiring trends and employee expectations.

Our research answers some crucial questions: 

• What’s influencing accountancy and finance salaries?  
• Which accountancy and finance jobs are seeing above-average pay increases?  
• What do accountancy and finance professionals want in a new job? 

Talent attraction is driving salary uplifts

Accountancy and finance salaries have seen an average increase of 1.7% over the past year, just slightly lower than the national average of 1.9% across all industries. This follows a dramatic 5.5% rise for the accountancy and finance profession the year prior.

Employers are often open to offering higher salaries, especially after reviewing multiple CVs and understanding the current market demands. This is largely due to the realisation that competitive compensation is crucial for attracting top talent. With 86% of employers across all industries planning to hire staff in 2025, there is set to be plenty of opportunities available for professionals who are thinking about changing job. 

Some roles have seen above-average pay hikes

While accountancy and finance salary growth has generally been quite modest, some professionals have seen more significant increases. Notably, professional services employers have made significant efforts to increase salaries as they were falling behind other sectors and struggling to attract talent as a result. Junior roles in practice have seen the highest average salary increases, with trainees in practice experiencing the largest percentage increases in pay over the past year (14.4%), followed by semi-seniors in practice (9.4%) and part-qualified accountants with 1-2 years’ experience (8.1%).

The following list shows the top 10 roles that have seen the largest percentage increases in pay over the past year. These professionals are highly sought after, prompting employers to improve their pay offering to attract and retain valuable workers.

Top salary increases in accountancy and finance

1. Trainee (practice)
2. Semi-senior (practice)
3. Part-qualified accountant (1-2 years’ experience)
4. Accounts receivable specialist
5. Accounts payable specialist
6. Accounts receivable manager
7. Finance manager EMEA
8. Tax manager
9. IATI qualified 3+ years’ PQE
10. Tax accountant

Counter offers are a common retention strategy

Counter offers have become a common strategy to retain employees, typically involving a pay rise, increased responsibilities or promises of involvement in different projects. However, to build trust and improve long-term retention, employers should address salary reviews proactively. This means regularly evaluating and adjusting salaries based on performance and market trends, rather than waiting until a counter offer is necessary. Undertaking salary benchmarking can help organisations to ensure their remuneration is competitive. By doing so, employers will likely reduce turnover and enhance overall job satisfaction, enabling them to foster a more loyal and motivated workforce.

Flexible working is imperative for attracting talent

An attractive salary isn’t the only thing attracting and retaining employees; flexible working, a good pension and a bonus are the top three benefits that are most important to accountancy and finance professionals.

Hybrid working is still the most adopted working pattern across the industry, with most organisations offering two days per week working from home. For employers who are struggling to attract talent in the year ahead, they may be able to overcome some of these struggles by being more flexible with their offering, since some professionals could be enticed by the option to work from home three days per week.

Our Ireland Salary and Recruiting Trends 2025 guide sheds lights on the many factors that come into play with employee satisfaction – and dissatisfaction. With 61% of professionals across all industries planning on changing jobs in the year ahead, it’s in employers’ best interests to keep up with the latest job market trends and employee expectations.

Employers: get more insights into the hiring trends shaping the world of work and ensure your employees are being paid the market rate with our Ireland Salary and Recruiting Trends 2025 guide.

Jobseekers: want to know how your salary compares to your peers? Take a look at our salary checker to find out.