PCPS UPDATE.

Staffing Still Top Issue in 1999

What are the most pressing practice management issues facing CPA firms today? Every spring, the PCPS/management of an accounting practice (MAP) committee, working with state society MAP representatives, asks firms this question so they can rank the most important issues facing CPAs in public practice. The 1999 results are in, and the number one response was "finding, hiring and retaining quality staff."

More than 50% of the total respondents chose staffing as one of their top five concerns. Of those, more than half ranked it as number one. "Staffing concerns are not new for CPA firms, but the level of scarcity has surprised everyone in the field, said Gary Shamis, managing partner of Saltz, Shamis & Goldfarb of Cleveland, OH. "With such a tight employment market, firms need to explore new tactics for recruiting and retaining qualified staff."

The 1999 poll also reveals some interesting shifts from the 1998 survey. Marketing rose to the second most important concern, while consulting issues disappeared from the list. "Marketing has become increasingly sophisticated in our profession, and, in this competitive environment, managing partners recognize the need to design more effective campaigns for firm...