How to win the race for hiring the

How to win the race for hiring the
cream of the CA crop?
Research commissioned by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants
(SAICA) revealed that in South Africa, there is a shortage of more than 5 000 chartered
accountants. Given that more than 90% of the chief financial officers of the Top 200
companies on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange are CAs, and the key leadership
roles they play, the question is – how do you win the race for hiring cream-of-the-crop
CAs?
As Matsobane Matlwa, Chief Executive Officer of SAICA says: “There is no doubt about the premium
that South Africa‟s top companies place on the CA(SA) designation and the profound value that
chartered accountants add to the success of leading local and international corporations.”
What‟s more, complying with BEE requirements is an additional factor to take into consideration in
your recruitment efforts for this crucial role within an organisation.
As chartered accountants wrap up their training each year, this small pool of new candidates that
become available can result in a recruitment feeding frenzy. To win the race in securing the very best
CA talent, key considerations such as „best fit‟ may be neglected, which can be a costly exercise in
management time and monetary terms, primarily in terms of lost opportunity, but also in terms of
significant fees spent on headhunting.
For many of South Africa‟s leading companies, a more prudent approach is to partner with one of the
large accounting firms, such as Deloitte, where every year a few hundred newly qualified CAs is
produced. Having worked with these CAs for more than three years while they completed their
training contracts, firms such as Deloitte are in a unique position to best match candidates with a
company‟s organisational culture, experience, and even BEE requirements.
Before settling on the right CA candidate, there is also the option of a secondment to evaluate
performance and fit for technical and softer skills, in the real environment, as a valuable indicator of
the suitability of the candidate, prior to finalising an appointment.
As an indication of the current spread of BEE candidates in the local chartered accounting profession,
SAICA currently has 30 404 members, of which 1 602 are African black, 719 are Coloured and 2 600
are Indian. In other words, only 16% of SAICA‟s membership base of recognised, qualified chartered
accounted in South Africa fit a BEE candidate profile. Roughly one third of SAICA‟s members are
female.
Deloitte trains the most African black chartered accountants in the country, and is well-placed to assist
with the recruitment of black talent. The Deloitte brand is a magnet for top talent; with an extensive
database and a network of experienced professionals across all demographics and industries.
The early engagement of the best available CA talent is a recruitment strategy that makes sense,
sourcing the potential leaders of your firm of tomorrow, from the trainees completing their three-year
training contracts today.
For further information, please contact:
Anneke Andrews
Letitia Koltzow
Director
Executive Lead
Tel: +27(0)12 482 0473
Mobile: +27(0)82 553 2856
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +27(0)12 482 0323
Mobile: +27(0)82 788 0808
Email: [email protected]
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