Over half of finance professionals have entrepreneurial ambitions, ACCA finds

Over half (52%) of finance professionals have career ambitions to become entrepreneurs, with 62% expecting to move roles in the next two years, according to Association of Chartered Certified Accountants’ (ACCA) Global Talent Trends Survey 2025.

Now in its third year, the survey explores changing perspectives among accountancy and finance professionals and is the largest annual talent survey of these professions across the world, with over 10,000 individuals from 175 countries responding.

It found that many respondents see accountancy as a gateway for entrepreneurial ambitions and skills, with 52% seeing accountancy as a “natural springboard” to running their own business. 

ACCA said this could be good news for employers, as there is a “growing need for accountants to use their entrepreneurial mindsets in many finance and business job roles where skills such as commerciality and innovation are prized attributes”.

Meanwhile, employability confidence was high with 62% expecting to move roles in the next two years and 58% expecting their next career role to be outside of their current organisation.

The survey also found the “side hustle” is on the rise, with 43% of Gen Z respondents and 39% across all generations suggesting they’re now engaged in additional employment to their main jobs.

Other findings included demand for sustainability-related careers, with 67% interested in pursuing accountancy careers focused on environmental issues. Currently 48% of wider leadership roles below board level and 35% of middle management roles in finance include sustainability responsibilities. 

Over 76% also want hybrid working arrangements, yet over half of respondents (51%) are still working in the office full time. The cost-of-living crisis meanwhile continued to top the ‘workplace fear’ index, with 41% of respondents expecting a pay rise of at least 11% over the next 12 months. 

Overall, mental health indicators are improving slightly compared to previous data but “remain challenging”, with 52% of respondents agreeing their mental health suffers due to work pressures. 

Finally, half of respondents were concerned they’re not developing the skills required for the future workplace, and fewer than a third (32%) say their organisation is providing opportunities to learn AI-related skills. 

Jamie Lyon FCCA, global head of Skills, Sectors and Technology at ACCA, said: “Our 2025 data continues to show a workplace in transition, but one of the exciting themes emerging this year is how accountancy training can be a brilliant early career pathway for building entrepreneurial skills. There’s no doubt this in part reflects how career ambitions continue to transform at work.”