TL;DR: Half of finance employers plan to hire in the next six months, with Financial Controllers, Finance Business Partners and experienced Management Accountants in most demand. The April 2026 National Living Wage rise has squeezed pay for transactional roles such as accounts assistants and ledger clerks. 34% of finance professionals got no pay rise in 2025, and only 18% of Gen Z are happy with their salary. Enhanced pension is the benefit with the biggest gap between what people want and what employers offer, and 47% of employers give no formal study support.
What is the accountancy and finance job market like in 2026?
Hiring is happening and candidates are moving, but both sides are more careful than two or three years ago. 50% of employers plan to hire in the next six months and 40% of candidates are considering a move in the same period.
The roles in most consistent demand across our regions are Financial Controllers, Finance Business Partners, experienced Management Accountants and FP&A professionals. At transactional level, the National Living Wage rise has pushed employers to settle cost structures and hire. At senior level, Head of Finance and Finance Director searches are taking longer, with tighter shortlists and more careful selection.
Most finance professionals feel secure in their jobs: 85% of Millennials, 73% of Gen X, 73% of Gen Z and 71% of Baby Boomers. Gen Z are the most optimistic about the market, with 72% expecting recruitment activity to increase in the next six months, compared with 50% of Baby Boomers.
Source: The ONE Group candidate and employer surveys, January 2026. n=412
How has the National Living Wage rise affected finance salaries?
The National Living Wage rose to £12.71 an hour in April 2026, up from £12.21. The effect goes beyond entry-level pay. When the floor rises, the gap between the bottom grade and the next one narrows, and that pressure travels up finance structures faster than most employers expect.
The most exposed roles are transactional. In many organisations, the pay gap between a new starter and someone with two or three years’ experience in these roles has effectively closed, which gives experienced staff a fair grievance and a reason to look elsewhere. Our recommended 2026 minimums:
- Accounts or Finance Assistant: typically £25,000 to £27,000 in 2025. Recommended minimum £28,000. High risk if not reviewed.
- Accounts Payable or Receivable Clerk: typically £26,000 to £28,000 in 2025. Recommended minimum £29,000. High risk.
- Credit Controller: typically £27,000 to £30,000 in 2025. Recommended minimum £30,000. Medium risk.
- Payroll Officer: typically £28,000 to £32,000 in 2025. Recommended minimum £31,000. Medium risk.
- Assistant Accountant: typically £30,000 to £34,000 in 2025. Recommended minimum £33,000. Low to medium risk.
Source: The ONE Group market data, March 2026
The rate for 18 to 20 year olds rose to £10.85, and the government still plans to phase out the age difference. Finance teams employing trainees and graduates should build this into cost planning. Reviewing the whole salary structure, not just the bottom, avoids creating unfairness further up and is cheaper than counter-offers later.
How much do accountancy and finance professionals earn in 2026?
Typical salaries across our seven regions in early 2026:
- Chief Financial Officer (large company): £160,000 to £275,000
- Finance Director (large company): £120,000 to £160,000
- Finance Director (SME): £90,000 to £110,000
- Financial Controller (large company): £80,000 to £90,000
- Financial Controller (SME): £65,000 to £75,000
- Head of FP&A (large company): £80,000 to £85,000
- Finance Business Partner (large company): £65,000 to £75,000
- Qualified Management Accountant (large company): £50,000 to £65,000
- Assistant Accountant (SME): £33,000 to £36,000
- Payroll Officer (SME): £30,000 to £37,500
- Credit Controller (SME): £30,000 to £35,000
- Accounts Payable or Receivable Clerk (SME): £29,000 to £33,000
- Accounts, Audit or Tax Manager (practice): £55,000 to £65,000
- Trainee Accountant (practice): £26,000 to £29,000
These figures include the upward movement on transactional roles from the April National Living Wage increase. The Typical figure is the most common placement salary we see, which is usually more useful for hiring decisions than the midpoint of a range. All figures are for permanent roles.
Source: The ONE Group accountancy and finance salary guide 2026. Full regional tables for SME, large company and public practice roles are in the guide.
Did finance professionals get a pay rise in 2025?
After two years of strong pay growth, 2025 was much quieter. 34% received no increase and 52% received between 1 and 4%, below inflation for most of the year. Only 14% received 5% or more.
Overall job satisfaction is 59%, but it varies a lot by generation:
- Millennials: 67% satisfied. The main frustration is salary progression levelling off.
- Baby Boomers: 63% satisfied. The main frustration is lack of recognition.
- Gen X: 61% satisfied. The main frustration is limited career development.
- Gen Z: 45% satisfied. The main frustrations are salary and flexibility.
Source: The ONE Group candidate survey, January 2026. n=412
Why are Gen Z finance professionals unhappy with their pay?
Only 18% of Gen Z respondents are satisfied with their salary, and 61% are actively looking to move for better pay, the highest of any generation. 55% of Gen Z changed roles in the last 12 months, compared with 39% of Millennials, 36% of Baby Boomers and 33% of Gen X.
This is not just impatience. Entry-level salaries have not kept up with the cost of living, and pay progression has slowed as employers tighten budgets.
Why do finance professionals change jobs?
- Salary increase: 61%
- Career progression: 52%
- Dissatisfied with management: 27%
- More flexibility: 26%
- Company culture: 22%
- Better benefits: 19%
Source: The ONE Group candidate survey, January 2026
Salary leads, but it is rarely the only reason. Management and flexibility both cost less to fix than a salary review, as long as employers raise them before someone has an offer letter in hand.
Do finance candidates expect a salary on the job advert?
Yes. 55% of candidates would not apply for a role if the salary was not advertised. With pay growth modest, people want to know a role is worth their time before they engage. Showing a competitive salary upfront is now expected.
Do finance roles offer performance bonuses?
Mostly not. 82% of respondents receive no form of performance-based pay. For commercially focused roles such as Finance Business Partners, FP&A professionals and senior Management Accountants, linking part of the reward to results is increasingly seen as part of what makes a role engaging as well as well paid.
Should finance professionals accept a counter-offer?
40% of professionals in our survey have received a counter-offer and 58% accepted it. Our consultants consistently see most of those who accept leave within twelve months anyway, because the reasons they wanted to go rarely disappear with a pay rise. Regular salary reviews, clear progression and open conversations about development work better than counter-offers on both cost and outcome.
Do finance professionals want hybrid working?
Hybrid is now taken for granted. The question in 2026 is how many days, which days and how clearly employers explain their expectations. 46% of finance professionals would dismiss a fully office-based role without further thought. 21% currently work fully in the office but only 10% want to, an 11-point gap of people who are likely to leave if a hybrid option comes along.
Commuting is becoming a filter in its own right. Two days a week in an office ninety minutes away can feel harder than five days in an office fifteen minutes from home. We are tracking this formally for our next edition.
Source: The ONE Group candidate survey, January 2026
What benefits do finance professionals want most?
97% of finance professionals say benefits are very or quite important when evaluating a new role, and 62% feel their employer does not stand out on benefits. When two roles pay similar salaries, the benefits package decides which one gets the application. The gaps between what employers offer and what people want:
- Enhanced pension: a gap of 15 points, the biggest.
- Performance bonus: a gap of 10 points.
- Private healthcare: a gap of 9 points.
- Study support (ACCA, CIMA): a gap of 8 points.
- Flexible working: a gap of 4 points.
- Extra holiday: a gap of 4 points.
- EAP and wellbeing support: a gap of 2 points.
- Hybrid working: offered more often than it is listed as a top want, because it is now a baseline expectation.
Source: The ONE Group employer and candidate surveys, January 2026
The three benefits most likely to influence a decision to accept a new role are the same across every generation: enhanced pension, private healthcare and genuine flexibility. These have not changed from last year, but people feel more strongly about them.
How much do employers contribute to pensions?
Most are at or near the statutory minimum. 38% of employers contribute 0 to 3%, 34% contribute 3 to 5%, 19% contribute 5 to 8% and only 9% contribute more than 8%. For a relatively small extra cost, an enhanced pension is one of the strongest ways to stand out, especially for candidates aged 35 and over who are focused on long-term financial security.
Holiday works the same way. Candidates do not see 20 days plus bank holidays as a benefit because it is the legal requirement. To count as a benefit, it has to be more than that.
Do employers support ACCA, CIMA and AAT study?
Many do not. 47% of employers offer no formal study support. 14% offer full support covering tuition, exams and study leave, 15% pay exam fees only, 13% offer CPD support only and 11% give study time off without financial help.
Source: The ONE Group market data, March 2026
Finance is unusual because so many people are studying for qualifications while working. Organisations that offer full study support report better retention at the two to five year mark, which is exactly when trained staff become most valuable and most attractive to competitors.
Do wellbeing and DE&I matter to finance candidates?
Increasingly. 58% say their employer does enough to support their wellbeing, and 49% rate wellbeing support as a high priority when choosing an employer. 59% prioritise equal opportunities when considering a new role, 51% look for an inclusive culture and 37% want to see clear DE&I policies.
46% rate their employer’s Employee Value Proposition as somewhat important and 28% as very important. Employers who can clearly say what makes working for them different, and back it up, report stronger candidate engagement and better retention.
How is AI being used in finance teams?
67% of finance employers say AI tools are now part of their team’s regular workflow. The most common uses:
- Automated transaction processing (58% of teams): less manual input and fewer errors.
- Management reporting (51%): faster close cycles.
- Variance and trend analysis (44%): more time for commercial insight.
- Forecasting and scenario planning (38%): better planning conversations.
- Payroll processing (29%): fewer payroll errors.
- Audit preparation (22%): less time gathering evidence.
Source: The ONE Group employer survey, January 2026
The gains are less about time saved and more about clarity: fewer errors, faster closes and better conversations with the rest of the business. For hiring, commercial awareness, data literacy and the ability to turn numbers into decisions are moving up the list. Technical qualifications are still the foundation but no longer enough on their own. Be specific about your systems in job adverts, because candidates want to know what tools they will use.
What does the Employment Rights Act 2025 mean for finance teams?
The Act received Royal Assent in December 2025 and is the most significant employment legislation in a generation. In force since April 2026:
- 6 April 2026: SSP payable from day one of sickness, adding payroll cost and complexity. Day-one paternity and parental leave rights, affecting headcount and cover costs. The collective redundancy protective award doubled to 180 days’ pay. Whistleblowing protection extended to sexual harassment disclosures.
- 7 April 2026: the Fair Work Agency was established, strengthening enforcement of holiday pay, SSP and the minimum wage.
Still to come:
- 1 January 2027: the unfair dismissal qualifying period drops to six months, and the cap on unfair dismissal compensation is removed, meaning potentially uncapped awards.
- January 2027: fire and rehire is significantly restricted, a major risk for any planned change to terms and conditions.
- 2027: guaranteed hours obligations for zero hours workers and stronger rules on refusing flexible working requests.
Source: Employment Rights Act 2025 / Lewis Silkin ERA dashboard, February 2026
Anyone hired from April 2026 will be covered by the six-month qualifying period from January 2027. Organisations planning restructures, role changes or performance management processes should take legal advice now and review disciplinary processes before the compensation cap goes.
What should employers hiring in finance do in 2026?
- Review the whole salary structure, not just roles near the National Living Wage.
- Advertise the salary. More than half of candidates will not apply without it.
- Look at your pension contribution. It is the biggest benefits gap and a relatively cheap way to stand out.
- Offer proper study support. It is a direct recruitment and retention tool at the two to five year stage.
- Be clear and honest about office days, and consider the commute.
- Have regular pay and progression conversations instead of relying on counter-offers.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Which finance roles are most in demand in 2026?
Financial Controllers, Finance Business Partners, experienced Management Accountants and FP&A professionals are in the most consistent demand across Cambridge, Essex, Hertfordshire, Northampton, Peterborough, Huntingdon and Milton Keynes.
Q: How much does a Financial Controller earn in 2026?
Typically £65,000 to £75,000 in an SME and £80,000 to £90,000 in a large company across our regions.
Q: What is the minimum I should pay an Accounts Assistant in 2026?
We recommend at least £28,000, and at least £29,000 for an Accounts Payable or Receivable Clerk, to keep a sensible gap above the National Living Wage.
Q: Is AI replacing finance jobs?
Our data suggests it is sharpening them. AI is taking on transaction processing and reporting, which raises the value of commercial insight and communication.
Q: What benefit matters most to finance candidates?
Enhanced pension. It has the biggest gap between what people want and what employers offer, and most employers still contribute 5% or less.
Article produced by The ONE Group | www.theonegroup.co.uk
