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The Real Problem: Why the CPA Profession Is Losing Its People
A Cycle That No One Can Afford
“I can’t maintain 65-hour workweeks. It’s impacting my health,” one accountant admitted in an industry interview. Her story echoes across firms everywhere — not a lack of ambition, but the exhaustion of doing too much of the wrong kind of work.
Each resignation sparks a familiar loop: scramble, hire, train, repeat. The CPA turnover cycle continues — costly, predictable, and avoidable.
The Numbers Behind the Story
- 39% of accounting professionals under 40 changed employers in the past two years.
- 8% are considering leaving the profession altogether. (Institute of Management Accountants)
- The average annual turnover rate is 15%, with three-quarters of departures within the first six years. (Illinois CPA Society)
- Replacing one experienced CPA can cost 50–60% of their annual salary.
Every departure means more than lost capacity — it drains culture, continuity, and client trust.
What Accountants Are Actually Saying
Public accounting is tough. It’s the nature of the business.
— Sholly Nicholson, HR Director, San Francisco
Accounting firms have been espousing work-life balance for decades,
but many fail to live up to expectations.
— Scott MacEachern, CPA, former Big 4 professional
- 92% mention pay as a factor, but
- 49% cite burnout, and
- 48% cite lack of work-life balance as reasons for quitting.
“I was earning more each year, but I wasn’t growing,” shared a senior accountant from California.
“The work didn’t change, only my pay did.”
These voices reveal what data can’t: professionals don’t want to leave accounting.
They want to leave a version of it that no longer aligns with their values.
The Real Issue: Design, Not Discipline
The CPA turnover cycle persists because firms are trying to fix a design problem with HR solutions. Traditional workflows were built for volume, not value. Local teams carry the full weight of compliance, while advisory and strategic work — the kind that retains people — keeps getting pushed aside.
- Overloaded local staff and constant burnout.
- Partners trapped in capacity management.
- Clients feeling inconsistency.
- Firms chasing short-term fixes instead of long-term design.
One former CPA summarized it simply: “I didn’t leave accounting. I left the version of accounting that left no room for me to think.”
This is why modern firms are rethinking their outsourcing strategy for CPA firms — not as a cost-saving measure, but as a design strategy. When routine, high-volume work is supported by offshore or distributed teams, local professionals gain space for advisory, relationship-building, and growth. That shift becomes a true talent solution, not a stopgap.
The Shift Begins
Forward-thinking firms are no longer asking how to find more people — they’re asking how to improve CPA staff retention by redesigning work itself. Cloud technology and global collaboration have opened the door to a smarter, cloud accounting talent model — one that blends global efficiency with local expertise.
At Unison Globus, we saw this change before it became urgent. We recognized that real loyalty comes from structure, not sentiment — from creating capacity where it’s needed and purpose where it matters.
That philosophy evolved into a model designed for sustainability rather than survival.
A model where every professional — wherever they work — can contribute meaningfully and grow with the firm.
That model is True Global, Deep Local — the next chapter in how firms escape the CPA turnover cycle for good.
Get to Know the Model: True Global, Deep Local
Every firm claims to have a plan for stopping the CPA turnover cycle. Few are redesigning how the work itself gets done.
The True Global, Deep Local framework created by Unison Globus does exactly that — it rebuilds workflow design so that people stay not because they must, but because they want to.
True Global: Expanding Capacity Through Connection
“True Global” is the foundation of the model. It uses a cloud accounting talent model to give firms flexible capacity, operational continuity, and peace of mind during peak seasons.
This isn’t traditional outsourcing. It’s a structured, process-led outsourcing strategy for CPA firms that turns global collaboration into a long-term talent solution.
Here’s how it works in practice:
- Global teams manage recurring compliance, bookkeeping, and tax preparation tasks.
- Secure cloud platforms ensure transparency, accuracy, and real-time review.
- Local CPAs are freed to focus on advisory, business consulting, and client relationships.
The results speak for themselves.
A Texas-based firm partnered with Unison Globus to address ongoing CPA turnover during tax season. Within 12 months:
- Partner review hours dropped by 40%.
- Project turnaround improved by 32%.
- Staff retention rose from 68% to 92%.
The True Global layer doesn’t just relieve pressure — it builds rhythm, giving local teams the space to think strategically while clients enjoy faster, more consistent service. It’s a modern CPA talent shortage solution rooted in design, not desperation.
Deep Local: Restoring Meaning to the Work
The “Deep Local” side focuses on what can’t be outsourced — trust, context, and connection.
Once high-volume tasks move to the global layer, local professionals can focus on advisory work, strategic insights, and long-term client partnerships.
This is where real staff retention happens.
It’s not about retention bonuses or time-off policies. It’s about improving CPA staff retention by giving people back the work that engages their minds and grows their careers.
A Midwest firm of 25 professionals experienced this shift firsthand. By adopting the Unison Globus model, they transitioned over 60% of routine tax prep work to offshore teams. Within one year:
- Advisory billings rose 20%.
- Employee engagement scores increased by 17 points.
- The firm recorded zero voluntary departures during the busy season.
That’s the Deep Local effect — restoring purpose and creativity at the core of the profession. It turns “retention” from a target into a culture.
Start your transition today.
Connect with Unison Globus to learn how the True Global, Deep Local framework can help your firm grow capacity, strengthen culture, and end the CPA turnover cycle for good. Contact Us
Conclusion 
Together, True Global and Deep Local form more than a workflow shift — they are a reimagined operating model for the modern accounting firm. A system where work moves smarter, people work happier, and growth stops depending on how many hours your team can endure.
They transform what was once an endless CPA turnover cycle into a sustainable rhythm — one where global efficiency and local excellence reinforce each other. It’s not about hiring more. It’s about designing better.
