New resources address the profession’s most pressing workforce challenge, giving practice leaders the evidence, tools and language to compete for the next generation of finance talent.
ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) has published the SMP Talent Management Toolkit, a two-part resource designed to help small and medium-sized accounting practices (SMPs) attract, develop and retain the talent they need to serve the millions of small businesses that rely on them.
The toolkit launches in the week before UN MSME Day (27 June), as part of ACCA’s global campaign focused on talent in small and medium-sized practices. It is a comprehensive resource ACCA has produced on practice talent, drawing on the world’s largest annual survey of finance and accountancy professionals and on direct practitioner experience from across the globe.
Competition for finance and accountancy talent is more intense than it has been for a generation. AI and automation are reshaping what accountants do day to day, client expectations are rising, and a new generation of candidates is entering the market with different priorities from those who came before.
At the same time, ACCA’s Global Talent Trends 2026 (based on 11,389 responses across 160 countries) confirms that what candidates want most from their careers is precisely what small and medium practices are built to offer: meaningful work, direct impact, breadth of experience, and the chance to build genuine relationships.
According to Aleksandra Zaronina-Kirillova, Head of SME Professional Insights, ACCA, “The accountancy profession plays a central role in the health and resilience of the SME sector. The practitioners joining firms today will be the trusted advisers of tomorrow’s small businesses, and how we develop talent now determines what becomes possible for the profession, and for the businesses and communities it serves.”
The toolkit is published in two linked parts:
- SMP Talent Management Toolkit (for practice leaders): A practical guide structured around the full talent cycle – attract, develop, retain. At its core are 10 messages for attracting talent to an SMP, grounded in real practitioner experience and developed through direct conversations with the global SMP community. The publication also covers learning culture, AI upskilling, skills frameworks and retention, with checklists, case studies and employer voices from Malaysia, Singapore, Ireland and Sri Lanka.
- Why choose a career in a small or medium-sized practice? (for candidates): A story-led companion for anyone considering an SMP as a career destination – school leavers, graduates, career changers or experienced professionals. It features the same 10 messages reframed from the candidate’s perspective, 10 career tips and a skills development framework drawn from ACCA’s Career Paths Reimagined 2026 research.
Both publications are grounded throughout in ACCA’s Global Talent Trends 2026 and feature six new video stories from practice leaders and practitioners across Malaysia, Singapore, Ireland, South Africa and the UK.
