Indian accountants worried about AI, tech changes, says ACCA survey

Business Standard

13-05-2025

More than half of Indian accountants taking part in a global survey have flagged concerns about not being able to develop the required future skills due to the rapidly changing pace of technology and the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on their roles.
'This concern is inversely proportional to seniority – where mid- and junior-level professionals are more worried than senior leadership and board-level respondents,' the third annual Global Talent Trends Survey 2025 by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) found.
Fifty-four per cent of India respondents are concerned about not developing the required future skills, higher than the global average of 50 per cent. Over half also felt overwhelmed by AI and technology, which the survey said explains why AI was identified as the most valuable skill by 43 per cent in India, compared to a global average of 36 per cent.
'To thrive in the future workplace, a thorough understanding of technology is non-negotiable. I feel very excited to see that finance professionals are getting more comfortable with technology,' Emma Jindal, CFO of Accenture, India, said in the survey.
Only 37 per cent of respondents said that their organisation was providing opportunities to learn AI-related skills.
While 41 per cent of respondents from India were fully office-based, only 13 per cent would prefer to be, with 75 per cent favouring hybrid working. Forty-five per cent of respondents were working in a hybrid model.
The ACCA survey also noted that the proportion of fully office-based professionals has consistently increased over the last three years – up from 30 per cent in 2023 and 34 per cent in 2024 to 41 per cent in 2025.
'Flexible work and hybrid or remote working are consistently cited across all sectors as the most valued (49 per cent) benefits an employer can provide to support a positive work-life balance,' the survey said.
However, the global survey suggested that audit firms' apprenticeship models, quality on-the-job training, progression opportunities and consistent organisational culture have all been negatively impacted through the adoption of remote work. 'Indirectly, this could have an impact on audit quality too,' the survey said.