Accounting belongs in K-12 STEM education

Accounting organizations and some employers have raised concerns about recruiting difficulties and a thinning pipeline.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 124,200 openings for accountants and auditors each year, on average, from 2024 to 2034, alongside employment growth of 5 percent over the decade. Many of those openings, however, do not reflect new job creation. Rather, the new workers will replace those retiring or moving into other occupations.

These figures justify concern about the supply of accountants. The number of students sitting for the CPA exam has been falling for years, and firms of all sizes report that unfilled positions are starting to affect their workload and client service.

In response, states across the country are rewriting the rules for becoming a certified public accountant. On Aug. 1, Texas became the latest to offer an alternative to the profession’s traditional 150-credit-hour pathway, joining a growing effort to address the nation’s accountant shortage. Several other states have already loosened licensure requirements in similar ways, and more are actively considering doing the same.

These state level reforms may make it easier for aspiring accountants to reach the finish line. But they cannot solve the profession’s deeper problem: Too few students ever approach the starting line. Licensure reform addresses the end of the pipeline; it........

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