What Happened
Intuit has published survey research examining how young Australians view AI's role in accounting and finance careers. The survey covered 1,000 Australians aged 18 to 24.
The headline finding: 94% of respondents said AI was making a career in accounting and finance more attractive, while 89% said it presented more opportunity than risk for their future career. A further 53% said a firm's use of AI would strongly influence whether they joined it.
Respondents also reported high levels of personal AI use. The survey found 75% used AI daily or multiple times a day to learn, work and solve problems, and 89% said they would be slower without it. On confidence, 92% felt prepared to succeed in an AI-enabled workplace, and 93% believed they would be more capable with AI tools than their future managers or senior colleagues.
Why It Matters
The findings arrive as the accounting profession faces a documented workforce supply problem in Australia. CA ANZ research, cited in the Intuit report, found the country will be short 17,900 accounting, audit and finance professionals by 2035, with AI and automation identified among the pressures affecting the sector.
The Intuit data suggests AI is not deterring younger entrants from the profession. Instead, it appears to be shaping how they assess prospective employers and what they expect from early career roles.
Key Details
The survey found 99% of respondents viewed conversational AI tools embedded in financial software as extremely or very useful for analysing financial data, generating reports, answering questions and automating tasks. That near-universal figure points to strong expectations around AI-enabled tooling as a baseline, not a premium feature.
On career trajectory, 38% expected to spend more time on higher-value tasks earlier in their careers, suggesting respondents saw automation as a path to earlier exposure to analytical and advisory work rather than only administrative tasks. A separate 55% said younger employees would frequently lead AI adoption within organisations.
The survey also found 83% believed AI would become an essential skill for accountants in every role.
Background and Context
Intuit is a US-based financial software company whose products include QuickBooks, used widely by small businesses and accounting firms in Australia. The survey was conducted among Australians aged 18 to 24, a cohort that would be entering or approaching entry into the workforce.
The accounting profession in Australia operates under a framework that includes registration bodies such as CA ANZ and CPA Australia, with practitioners subject to oversight from regulators including ASIC and the ATO. Workforce pipeline concerns have been a recurring topic in the profession, with university enrolment trends and career perception cited as contributing factors alongside structural changes from automation.[1]
What Comes Next
The Intuit research does not specify follow-up actions or timelines. The findings were published in October 2026. The projected 17,900-professional shortfall cited from CA ANZ research has a 2035 horizon, and how AI adoption by firms affects actual recruitment outcomes for younger entrants remains to be seen in practice.