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By Steve Brearton
Illustration: Seth
Spring brings a fresh batch of university grads looking for accounting work. What wages can most expect? And what did they receive in years past?
$48,500
Recent graduates in the corporate accounting sector can expect base compensation to decline nearly 2% this year, with wages at the average firm topping more than $48,000.
 $45,000
By the late '90s, accounting firms are desperate to attract qualified new hires. A shortage of CA students in 1998, called a "drought" by one Ernst & Young recruiter, translates into average salaries between $35,000 and $45,000. The same year, a University of Toronto MBA graduate gets some press for receiving a starting salary of $190,000.
$43,250
In 2002, recent recruits at large public accounting firms benefit from a double-digit wage rise over 2001. Starting wages are expected to increase an average of 10.2% to the $35,000 to $43,250 range. The previous year, one study finds accountants starting in civil service jobs earn more than those in the private sector.
 $27,000
In 1991, grads hit an economy in recession with firms holding the line or cutting wages. The best new hires can hope for at the average firm is $27,000 while most will receive $5,000 less. "Partners," claims Harley Mintz of Mintz & Partners in Toronto, "are having to get rid of their toys."
$15,500
In 1981, commerce graduates are offered slightly more than $15,000 to sign with firms such as Peat Marwick Mitchell (now KPMG) in Toronto. Top-ranked students from the best schools receive a $1,000 premium as an added incentive to join. |
