The Accountant Shortage, AI, and What It All Means for Your Business

SHOW NOTESEpisode Summary:The accounting profession is in crisis — and if you're a small business owner, that affects you directly. In this episode, Donna Harris, MBA, MAcc and CEO of Bookkeeping Made Simple breaks down the accountant shortage, what's driving it, how AI is changing the landscape, and what smart business owners should be doing right now to protect themselves.Topics Covered:The scope of the accountant shortage and why it's getting worseWhy the CPA pipeline has been shrinking for over a decadeHow AI is stepping in — and what it can and can't doWhy human oversight is still non-negotiableWhat this means for small business owners looking for accounting helpHow to protect yourself when qualified help is harder to findKey Stats Mentioned:CPA candidates are down 27% over the past decadeOver 300,000 accountants left the profession between 2019 and 2022The BLS projects more than 120,000 accounting and auditing job openings every yearLicensed accountants in the U.S. dropped from a peak of 1.93 million in 2019 to 653,408 as of mid-2025CPA-required roles now take an average of 73 days to fill — 41% longer than comparable roles without the designationConnect with Donna:Website: https://mysimplebookkeeping.comPhone: 801-692-0032 ext. 101Schedule a consultation: https://MySimplebookkeeping.com/contact