Finance firm managers tipped for pay rises amid recruitment difficulties

Managers in accountancy and finance firms are set to receive pay rises of up to 5.8% next year amid problems in recruiting suitably qualified staff, a new report predicts.

The rise will take salaries for financial planning and analysis managers to between £64,000 and £82,000, said recruitment firm Robert Half.

Starting salaries for accountants and finance staff are predicted to rise by an average of 2.9%, with higher increases for jobs where firms are finding it difficult to recruit.

Phil Sheridan, of Robert Half, said: "Productivity and growth are today's premium business mantras and the growing skills shortage is one of the key challenges for any organisation to overcome.

"Competition for the best people is intensifying and as this year's guide demonstrates, salaries for hard to fill roles continue to rise and outpace the average salary by a significant margin."