So much so, that many of the hiring managers I speak to are now starting to consider the sponsorship of Accounting and Finance professionals from overseas.
This isn’t a new practice for many of the well-known audit firms, however the increased interest from commercial employers certainly is. The sponsorship of professionals does two things; it provides another route to finding the key skills employers so desperately need and it helps circumnavigate current wage inflation, as candidates coming from overseas often have lower salary expectations.
As an example, a Newly Qualified Accountant from South Africa would typically have expectations of £45,000+ per annum, whilst a fully qualified Accountant in London is now typically looking for £55,000+ per annum.
Many of our clients that are located outside of London often find it even more difficult to access the strong technical accountants they need and are considering sponsorship as a means of broadening the talent pool available to them.
Newly qualified candidates seem to be the level at which our clients are sponsoring the most and they typically look at candidates from South Africa, Australia and India. These individuals often have strong educational backgrounds and a solid technical grounding in finance which they have gained through the CA qualification.
Looking across different industries, many of the large Financial Services businesses are increasingly offering sponsorship, as they have the processes and financial stability to be able to do so. For example, we are currently working with a high growth fintech business, who not only sponsor professionals from overseas but also hire people internationally, allowing them to work 100% remotely.
