IF the past year was a time of dramatic economic change, someone forgot to tell the accounting profession in Western Australia.
IF the past year was a time of dramatic economic change, someone forgot to tell the accounting profession in Western Australia.
While a handful of accounting firms proceeded with national redundancy programs earlier this year, and nearly all battled to drum up business for their corporate finance practices, there is little evidence of that in the latest industry survey for WA Business News' Book of Lists.
Most accounting firms in WA currently have about the same number of staff they had 12 months ago, with Ernst & Young having 424 accountants, ahead of PricewaterhouseCoopers (375), KPMG (336) and Deloitte (329).
Most accounting firms in WA currently have about the same number of staff they had 12 months ago.
A few, including sector leader Ernst & Young, have tweaked staff numbers, mostly by shedding support staff rather than accountants.
And nearly all firms are back in recruitment mode, even those that shed staff earlier this year.
“It's quite amazing how resilient the economy has been," BDO Kendalls WA chairman Sherif Andrawes said.
“Recruitment has resumed, and I think we have come through with a stronger set of staff."
Industry players agree that one of the biggest challenges has been the pressure on fees, as clients look for any savings they can find.
“There is no doubt that margins are under pressure, clients are looking for savings wherever they can," Deloitte's WA managing partner Keith Jones said.
Delotte's WA practice achieved 28 per cent revenue growth in the financial year to May, with growth across most practice areas, including the major areas of consulting, audit and tax and the much smaller restructuring practice.
Mr Jones said the firm managed the growth using staff recruited in the first half of 2008.
WHK Horwath's Geoff Kidd said his firm had also achieved growth across major practice areas, with gross fees up 15 per cent last year.
RSM Bird Cameron partner James Komninos said his firm had been helped by the diversity of its services and its strong rural network, which helped the firm retain all staff during the downturn.
He agreed there had been pressure on margins, but said most people were now reasonably upbeat on where the state was heading.
