Despite industry concerns, from regulatory uncertainty to staffing shortages, AICPA President and CEO Mark Koziel says the outlook for accountants remains strong.

“Every time there’s a new development in technology, they want to put us out of business,” Koziel said during his keynote address at ENGAGE 2025. But historically, technology hasn’t replaced accountants, it’s made them more efficient. Accounting Today reported that Koziel cited everything from Excel to blockchain as once-feared tools that ultimately made the profession stronger.  

Further boosting prospects for accounting, data shows that college students are starting to warm up to the profession. AICPA Chair Lexy Kessler, who joined Koziel during his speech, said that undergraduate enrollments in accounting have increased for the third consecutive quarter, which is a positive development after years of grave worries about the profession's talent shortage.

"We're seeing results, but we're not done yet," Kessler stated. "We need to keep our foot on the gas."

Higher compensation for younger accountants and an unsteady economy have helped rising interest from this segment, but that is not all, Kessler said: "There's some shifting in the marketplace—accounting has job stability, pay is looking better, students are seeing people from the profession out in classrooms, and they're saying, 'I had no idea that's what accountants do.'"

Kessler is in favor of a change in narrative. "I encourage everyone to change the story they're telling," she added. "Talk about the impact you have, not all the work it takes to make that impact."

Koziel chimed in with some good advice for leaders of companies from his stint at a Buffalo-based CPA firm in the 1990s. "When I was in charge of recruiting, I'd ask our partners, 'Is this firm the right place for your kids?' And if it's not, fix it," Koziel noted.