Finance and accounting professionals across Europe and North America are becoming steadily more anxious about the rising cost of living and their future job security in the era of AI.
This year’s ACCA Global Talent Trends survey, the most comprehensive assessment of the views of finance professionals worldwide, reveals a range of workplace insecurities – as well as their desire for the work they do to have a positive social impact.
Cost of living
The impact of inflation on salary is a major concern for finance professionals in many countries and is translating into a growing pressure on employers to increase wages or risk a talent crunch.
The effect of the rising cost of living has been the top workplace concern for respondents to the survey for the past four years. Globally, more than half (55%) say they are dissatisfied with their current salary, and 58% say they will ask their employer for a pay rise of at least 5% in the next 12 months.
This anxiety is particularly apparent in North America, where just 36% of respondents say they are satisfied with their current level of pay and 62% say they will ask for an increase in the next 12 months.
‘Attitudes towards pay have become more pointed across Eurasia’, says the report (comprising Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) with 64% planning to ask for a raise in the next 12 months and expecting a mean salary increase from their employers of 23% (compared with 17% in 2025). ‘This shift will likely have an impact on employer retention strategies,’ it adds.
Social impact
This year’s report suggests that employers may benefit from exploring other ways of attracting and retaining talent, particularly around social impact.
The survey shows a growing interest in roles that focus on social impact, which is preferred in many cases over roles with an environmental focus. More than half (54%) of respondents in Europe say they are interested in pursuing accountancy and finance roles that are focused on social impact, while the proportion of European respondents with career ambitions for environmental-focused roles has fallen from 54% in 2025 to 49% this year.
More than two-thirds of North American respondents (70%) say social impact is a key factor when considering potential employers. The report suggests that social impact is accordingly an area where employers could consider showcasing their credentials as a way of attracting talent.
AI concerns
Globally, more than half of all respondents are regularly using AI in their role. Younger generations are much more likely to embrace the technology than older generations: 56% of Gen Zs are using AI routinely compared with 44% of Gen Xs.
The use of AI, though, seems to be restricted to AI tools rather than anything more complex. Under a third (31%) of respondents globally say their organisations are currently deploying AI agents to support finance and accounting work, and in Eurasia the figure is just 11%.
While finance professionals show a high level of confidence in their ability to learn and apply AI related skills – a confidence expressed by 82% of respondents worldwide, rising to 85% in the Caribbean – many remain concerned about the potential for AI to impact their own role.
AI and recruitment
One area where the use of AI is causing particular concern is recruitment. The survey shows a widespread mistrust of the use of AI in recruitment, and its ability to support unbiased decision-making, across Europe and the Americas. Unusually, this is a topic where all generations broadly agree.
In Europe and the Caribbean, only 28% of respondents say they have confidence in the use of AI algorithms in the recruitment process, although the figure rises to 40% across Eurasia and 45% in North America. The report says this ‘speaks to a sense of unease’.
Mental health
The survey suggests that mental health indicators among respondents in North America and the Caribbean have deteriorated over the past year. More than half of respondents (56%) in North America say their mental health suffers due to work pressures, compared with 46% in 2025.
A similar trend can be seen in Eurasia, where 61% of respondents say their mental health is suffering because of work pressures, up from 43% in 2025. Around six in 10 respondents in both regions say they would like more support from their organisation in managing their mental health.
