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Across the U.S., U.K., and other mature markets, accounting firms are under acute pressure to find and retain talent.

In the U.S. alone, the accounting workforce has shrunk by nearly 10% between 2019 and 2024 and is growing – that’s tens of thousands fewer professionals in an already strained ecosystem.

Meanwhile, workloads are rising, client demands are evolving, and quality expectations have never been higher.

Some firms are taking bold, long-term steps:

• RSM US plans to double its India headcount to 5,000 by 2027
• Moss Adams and others are setting up wholly owned subsidiaries in India to build control, consistency, and scale
• Sikich, CohnReznick, Elliot Davis, Armanino, Withum and 50+ others

What stood out most in the Reuters article is that this isn’t future planning – this is now to tackle talent crunch of upcoming years.

Having followed similar patterns in the UK, it’s clear this is more than a U.S. phenomenon. Firms globally are rethinking how they access skills, build delivery models, and future-proof their operations.

As the industry hits a critical inflection point, it raises an important question for all of us in professional services: are we adapting fast enough?