Robert Walters Germany senior manager Hande Bostan-Caruso and managing consultant Lisa Gloos expect the country’s hiring landscape for accounting and finance (A&F) professionals in 2025 to be dynamic yet challenging. Speaking to recruitment experts in Poland, Hungary and Switzerland as well, this may be broadly true across the continent.
Few countries anywhere in the world are escaping the skills shortage in finance. ‘Compared to 2024, we anticipate a rise in demand for skilled professionals, driven by economic recovery efforts, ongoing digital transformation, and increasing regulatory pressures,’ they say. ‘However, high salary expectations, combined with a shrinking pool of qualified candidates, will create headwinds for employers.’
‘Employers have high expectations and recruiting qualified experts is becoming increasingly challenging’
In Hungary, Hays' commercial director Tibor Katona says that while the hiring landscape remains robust, it won’t be like the hiring frenzy of previous years. ‘This means that both organisations and candidates will be more selective. Companies will seek professionals with specialised skills and experience, while candidates will look for roles that offer growth opportunities and align with their career goals.’
Evolving roles
Another common trend will be the evolving nature of many roles. For example, there is an expectation that finance teams are not only competent reporting from large datasets, but skilled data interpreters, capable of providing greater strategic insight to management.
‘Employers have high expectations and recruiting qualified experts is becoming increasingly challenging,’ says Hays Poland senior manager Martyna Baur-Gadzinowska.
‘Switzerland is a stable but dynamic market, offering attractive opportunities’
In Switzerland, the skills shortage is exacerbated by the willingness of finance professionals to move roles. ‘The average tenure of Swiss A&F professionals is 2.3 years. This relatively high turnover places constant pressure on businesses to fill critical positions, such as head of accounting, business/financial controller and finance manager,’ says Robert Walters’ Swiss country director Christian Atkinson
‘Switzerland is a stable but dynamic market, offering attractive opportunities,’ Atkinson adds. ‘As a result, employees are often willing to explore new roles, which means companies must develop contingency plans or implement robust hiring strategies to address potential gaps in their teams.’
Plugging skills gap
Across the continent, professionals who combine technical expertise with technological know-how will stand out. Hot areas include FP&A, finance leadership, tax optimisation, compliance, international financial reporting standards (IFRS), international group accounting, and the preparation of annual financial statements.
Additionally, and likely true for all countries, proficiency with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, such as SAP, DATEV, NAVISION, Oracle and Microsoft Dynamics, is increasingly sought after, as are analytical skills and proficiency in tools such as Power BI, Tableau, QlikView or Cognos.
As companies embrace digital transformation, experience not only working with automated processes and artificial intelligence (AI) but also implementing them will be key differentiators, as will advanced soft skills necessary to add value, such as strategic thinking, commercial acumen and clearly communicating complex information.
‘We forecast continued and persistent salary growth in finance departments’
‘Large multinational companies will continue to seek experienced talent for complex roles like compliance officers, controllers and finance directors to navigate global regulations,’ say Bostan-Caruso and Gloos. ‘However, small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may rely more on interim managers or generalists to maintain agility. Roles in high demand will include accountants, tax specialists and financial analysts, particularly those skilled in leveraging data analytics and automation tools.’
In Hungary, there’s significant demand in financial services, with candidates preferring medium to large companies for their perceived stability in an uncertain economic environment. The technology sector is also actively hiring, especially people with FP&A, compliance and risk management experience, a demand driven by the rapid growth of tech companies and the need for robust financial oversight and strategic planning.
Salary movements
Broadly speaking, salary growth may well cool in 2025 amid macroeconomic uncertainty and the fading sheen of the post-pandemic boom, though Poland may buck this trend, with 91% of employers planning to recruit, 50% of professionals considering a job change and 48% expecting a salary increase, according to Hays.
‘We forecast continued and persistent salary growth in finance departments, reaching up to 15%,’ says Baur-Gadzinowska. ‘In 2024, financial controllers and analysts, independent accountants, reporting and tax specialists could count on pay increases of 15-20%.’
‘Senior-level roles are projected to experience the highest salary growth of 7-13%’
Perhaps less explosively, but positive nonetheless, junior-level positions are anticipated to see modest increases in Hungary, typically ranging from 3-5%. ‘This reflects the slightly dipping demand for entry-level talent and the need to attract new graduates,’ says Boskó. ‘Mid-level professionals can expect a more substantial salary increase, generally around 5-10%, due to the critical role these professionals will play in supporting senior management and executing financial strategies.
‘Senior-level roles are projected to experience the highest salary growth of 7-13%. Meanwhile, professionals with expertise in IFRS could even see increases exceeding 13%, reflecting the high demand for this specialised skillset and the complexity of its responsibilities.’
In Germany and Switzerland, the outlook is more muted. Increases, if any, will be very low for junior professionals, with businesses touting career progression and other benefits. Mid-level roles may see moderate growth as companies place a high value on experience and cost-effectiveness. Senior professionals, especially CFOs, finance directors and finance managers, are likely to command the highest increases due to their critical role in driving strategy and managing risks. Interim managers and highly specialised consultants will also maintain competitive day rates.
Non-financial benefits
Candidates and employees are increasingly asking for a hybrid work model. ‘In 2024, 73% of Swiss employers said that offering hybrid working proved to be one of the best retention strategies,’ says Atkinson.
Popular also are learning and development programmes (especially in AI and leadership), professional qualification support (such as for ACCA), tailored work-life balance programmes and mental health support, bonus schemes, share options, pension contributions and additional holiday.
