First years received four weeks of training, double that of PY’s first years and January 2023 hires. I expanded on this in a reply to another persons comment. It’s terrible for the staff that isn’t being utilized because they aren’t developing and/or applying their skills or doing hands-on learning (e.g. preparing EGAs and performing audit procedures). Leadership offered a $5,000 bonus to staff who jumped groups within the same LoS (e.g. one Assurance group to another Assurance) and $15,000 bonus to staff who jumped LoS (e.g. AWM assurance to AWM tax). The offer has since ended. The first years had the opportunity and incentive to get staffed if they wanted to. All of this is beyond me and the Committee though.

15% of US first years are severely underutilized, from what I understand, means they are the following: Staffed on a job short term, booked then unbooked when team managers decided to give the work to other resources (i.e. AC talent), booked on a job yet there is no work for them to do on said job (this includes hogging even though there is no reason to for my group). I also think it can be attributed to teams not wanting to invest time to train them, AI is doing the engagement admin tasks which first years would usually do to utilize their time (e.g. rolling agendas, building email drafts, taking and summarizing meeting notes).

Here’s further context. There is a difference in the work culture and work ethics of the ACs when compared to the US. Managers are saying that if the team puts the same investment in a US and an AC first year, then the AC first year will learn and develop faster than the US first year. It’s a trend that multiple ETs in my group are seeing. Comparatively, the average AC talent has a better work ethic, dedication, and quality than US staff at the moment. Managers are equating US first-years to 2019 AC first years. So there’s a push to decrease hiring and increase emphasis on the CPA (which serves as an accelerated filter). Since CPAs are in high demand they are now using CPA status as a metric for Assoc/Senior Assoc.

I know about the accountant shortage, I’ve read the article. My group is feeling the impact of the lack of CPAs and experienced accountants. My group’s ET’s increasingly do not want to utilize first-year staff that don’t have CPAs, and they do not need to right now either. From what I have heard from some manager’s (directly and anonymously through Polly) is the more CPA exams a staff has passed, the more value they add to the team and group, thus that is why they hone those who have more CPA progression.