The New Working World of the COVID-19 Pandemic

A Tumultuous Time for Auditors, Industries, and the PCAOB

Hila Fogel-Yaari, , PhD, and Kelly Gebhart, , MST

In BriefThe coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic created a new working world for businesses, accounting firms, and government. Most offices, including CPA firms and the PCAOB, pivoted to remote work. Unprecedented labor shortages meant auditors had to do the same work with fewer people. In this article, the authors examine recent PCAOB reports to investigate the pandemic's effect on the auditing profession. A focus on the reports of the largest firms, and the specific deficiencies found, permits the identification of industries that have been of greatest concern to the PCAOB. Finally, the authors discuss the changes that have taken place at the PCAOB and how they may have also impacted inspection results.