As the accounting profession faces a tightening pipeline and a shifting labor market, understanding what young professionals want out of work has become more important than ever.

According to Accounting Today, Gen Z, now entering the profession in growing numbers, is bringing a different set of expectations, priorities, and questions to the table, especially around transparency, development, and purpose. 

“They want to work to live rather than living to work,” said Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk, president of the Accounting MOVE Project. “…So they want clearly defined, ‘This is what I expect of you,’ and they also want recognition and opportunity to advance, and they may want that on a quicker schedule than what firms are typically doing.”

What’s changed isn’t just the pace of career growth or the role of technology. It’s also the sense that work has to fit into a broader sense of identity and stability. As Liz Burkhalter of the AICPA noted, “Removing the stigma around assumptions for Gen Z is the best thing that firms can do.” 

Gen Z isn’t abandoning the profession, but they are evaluating whether firms follow through on what’s promised. That’s the reality many firms are now adjusting to, by reevaluating how they define support and development.