The Future of the Profession: Insights from Your Peers

by Monette Anderson, CAE

,At the Membership Summit on June 12, WSCPA members shared their thoughts on the challenges and opportunities shaping the profession. The table discussions centered on three themes: emerging technologies, talent, and firm growth/profitability. What emerged was a clear view of the challenges facing firms and the opportunities they see for the future.

Emerging Tech Overload

• “Not enough time to research and adapt.”
• “Tech stack may be not integrated enough. We have to subscribe to multiple vendor products.”
• “Using AI to streamline data entry gives us more time for client service.”
• “Help us stay informed—and help vendors understand our compliance requirements.”
• “It’s hard to evaluate all the AI tools out there. We need a filter.”

Technology is moving faster than many organizations can keep up. Members shared that it’s difficult to evaluate the flood of artificial intelligence (AI) tools on the market, and too often, systems don’t integrate well. The result? Staff juggling multiple logins and platforms or putting off adoption because they lack time to research and implement.

Still, there’s optimism. Members see promise in using AI for data entry, analytics, and client communications, freeing up staff to focus more on service.

The People Problem

• “There’s a lack of accounting students. We’re not telling our story well enough.”
• “High burnout. Staff aren’t willing to work long hours—and honestly, who can blame them?”
• “It’s hard to teach the basics when we don’t even have a consistent feedback loop.”

The profession’s talent crunch was top of mind. Members voiced concerns about a shrinking pipeline of accounting students.

At the same time, firms are navigating changing expectations around workload and culture. Burnout, lack of structured mentorship, and the absence of consistent training for younger staff were also mentioned. Some firm staff are eager for peer connections to enable sharing of what’s working across similar-sized organizations.

Profit Margins Under Pressure

• “Too many small firms are struggling to find the right clients or price their services.”
• “Burnout, rising wages, and shrinking margins. It feels like a slow squeeze.”
• “We’re doing too many admin tasks and not enough billable work.”

For many, the business environment feels like a vice. Rising wages, increasing regulatory complexity, and the time drain of administrative tasks are chipping away at margins. Smaller firms, in particular, voiced struggles around pricing their services effectively and identifying the right clients. Others pointed to the need for better business development infrastructure like customer relationship management (CRM) tools, marketing resources, and guidance on value-based pricing.

Why It Matters for CPAs and WSCPA

It’s striking to me how consistent these themes have been across conversations. These aren’t isolated issues; they’re systemic trends shaping the future of the profession. I have heard these same concerns directly from firms and educators throughout the state. During the summer, Kimberly Scott, WSCPA CEO and President, and I have met with 11 firms and educators and will continue these visits in the fall. The consistency of these themes underscores just how deeply they’re felt across the professional landscape.

In September, as a WSCPA member, you should have received an invitation to participate in a full membership survey. We hope that you were able to add your voice to our research efforts.

WSCPA is taking this feedback seriously. These conversations are already shaping how we design new member experiences and test fresh ideas. One example is our Demo Day events, where members can join a day of scheduled product demonstrations in focused areas like Client Advisory Services (CAS) software or AI. In a single session, you’ll see multiple side-by-side solution providers, hear questions from peers, and evaluate what might work for your practice. Learn more about Demo Days; wscpa.org/demo-days.

Looking ahead, our Welcoming Engagement and Inclusion Council (WEI) is exploring cohort-based roundtable pilots—smaller peer groups that would create space for deeper connections and conversations for peer groups, such as new professionals and those in the industry space. These kinds of initiatives are how member feedback turns into action. WSCPA is also preparing to launch a new online community, the WSCPA Circle, this fall.

The Membership Summit made one thing clear: while the challenges are real, the value of coming together as peers to share solutions and ideas has never been higher. In an environment where firms and professionals are facing similar pressures, WSCPA provides the forum to compare notes, exchange strategies, and build collective strength. The connections forged here remind us that no one has to navigate these changes alone and that solutions will require both creativity and collaboration. By bringing professionals together, WSCPA amplifies ideas, surfaces solutions, and ensures that the profession in Washington has both a voice and a network to rely on.

select photos: © Shelly Oberman Photography
illustration: © iStock/Derya Mercan