Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Accountants and Auditors
Occupation · SOC 13-2011.00
Examine, analyze, and interpret accounting records to prepare financial statements, give advice, or audit and evaluate statements prepared by others. Install or advise on systems of recording costs or other financial and budgetary data.
Also called: Accountant · Auditor · Certified Public Accountant (CPA) · Financial Auditor · Accounting Officer · Audit Partner · Cost Accountant · General Accountant · Internal Auditor · Revenue Tax Specialist · Account Auditor · Accounting Associate
Job family: Business and Financial Operations Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-13-2011-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- About average employment outlook (+4.6% by 2034)
- 124,200 openings/yr
- Moderate AI exposure
- Median pay $81,680/yr
- Can largely be done remotely (teleworkable)
- Both the 2013 computerization estimate and today's AI exposure rank this high
93rd-percentile task overlap — yet about 124,200 openings a year (+4.6% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) High | 99th | 1.5 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) High | 95th | 1.0 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Moderate | 66th | 0.2 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.6), and including AI-powered software (γ 1.0). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
Most of this job's tasks can be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman), which tends to track with higher digital and AI exposure.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.9 · 86th percentile among occupations · High
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Develop, implement, modify, and document recordkeeping and accounting systems, making use of current computer technology. | 13.4% | |
| Analyze business operations, trends, costs, revenues, financial commitments, and obligations to project future revenues and expenses or to provide advice. | 6.6% | |
| Prepare detailed reports on audit findings. | 0.7% | |
| Establish tables of accounts and assign entries to proper accounts. | 0.3% | |
| Examine and evaluate financial and information systems, recommending controls to ensure system reliability and data integrity. | 0.2% | |
| Prepare, examine, or analyze accounting records, financial statements, or other financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness, and conformance to reporting and procedural standards. | 0.2% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +4.6% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 124,200 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 1,579,800 → 1,652,600 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Accountants and Auditors sits at the 89th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure eased from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
51% mean task exposure (2025)
89th percentile of 427 placed occupations
−1 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Accountants · 2411 | 51% | Gradient 3 |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 30 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Prepare detailed reports on audit findings. Core · importance 4.6
- Report to management about asset utilization and audit results, and recommend changes in operations and financial activities. Core · importance 4.5
- Collect and analyze data to detect deficient controls, duplicated effort, extravagance, fraud, or non-compliance with laws, regulations, and management policies. Core · importance 4.5
- Inspect account books and accounting systems for efficiency, effectiveness, and use of accepted accounting procedures to record transactions. Core · importance 4.5
- Supervise auditing of establishments, and determine scope of investigation required. Core · importance 4.5
- Confer with company officials about financial and regulatory matters. Core · importance 4.3
- Examine and evaluate financial and information systems, recommending controls to ensure system reliability and data integrity. Core · importance 4.3
- Inspect cash on hand, notes receivable and payable, negotiable securities, and canceled checks to confirm records are accurate. Core · importance 4.3
- Examine records and interview workers to ensure recording of transactions and compliance with laws and regulations. Core · importance 4.2
- Prepare, examine, or analyze accounting records, financial statements, or other financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness, and conformance to reporting and procedural standards. Core · importance 4.2
- Prepare adjusting journal entries. Core · importance 4.2
- Review accounts for discrepancies and reconcile differences. Core · importance 4.2
- Review taxpayer accounts, and conduct audits on-site, by correspondence, or by summoning taxpayer to office. Supplemental · importance 4.2
- Compute taxes owed and prepare tax returns, ensuring compliance with payment, reporting, or other tax requirements. Supplemental · importance 4.1
- Establish tables of accounts and assign entries to proper accounts. Core · importance 4.1
- Examine inventory to verify journal and ledger entries. Core · importance 4.1
- Advise clients in areas such as compensation, employee health care benefits, the design of accounting or data processing systems, or long-range tax or estate plans. Supplemental · importance 4.1
- Analyze business operations, trends, costs, revenues, financial commitments, and obligations to project future revenues and expenses or to provide advice. Core · importance 4.0
- Report to management regarding the finances of establishment. Core · importance 4.0
- Develop, implement, modify, and document recordkeeping and accounting systems, making use of current computer technology. Core · importance 4.0
- Evaluate taxpayer finances to determine tax liability, using knowledge of interest and discount rates, annuities, valuation of stocks and bonds, and amortization valuation of depletable assets. Core · importance 3.8
- Direct activities of personnel engaged in filing, recording, compiling, and transmitting financial records. Supplemental · importance 3.8
- Conduct pre-implementation audits to determine if systems and programs under development will work as planned. Supplemental · importance 3.7
- Examine whether the organization's objectives are reflected in its management activities, and whether employees understand the objectives. Core · importance 3.7
- Audit payroll and personnel records to determine unemployment insurance premiums, workers' compensation coverage, liabilities, and compliance with tax laws. Core · importance 3.5
- Develop, maintain, or analyze budgets, preparing periodic reports that compare budgeted costs to actual costs.
- Prepare, analyze, or verify annual reports, financial statements, and other records, using accepted accounting and statistical procedures to assess financial condition and facilitate financial planning.
- Process invoices for payment.
- Represent clients before taxing authorities and provide support during litigation involving financial issues. Supplemental
- Review data about material assets, net worth, liabilities, capital stock, surplus, income, or expenditures.
Work activities
- Prepare financial documents, reports, or budgets.
- Report information to managers or other personnel.
- Advise others on business or operational matters.
- Advise others on financial matters.
- Collect evidence for legal proceedings.
- Investigate legal issues.
- Examine financial records.
- Oversee business processes.
- Discuss business strategies, practices, or policies with managers.
- Examine financial records or processes.
- Verify accuracy of records.
- Analyze business or financial data.
- Analyze financial information.
- Prepare financial documents.
- Conduct financial or regulatory audits.
- Develop business or financial information systems.
- Assess financial status of clients.
- Evaluate effectiveness of personnel policies or practices.
- Verify accuracy of financial information.
- Calculate tax information.
- Advise others on human resources topics.
- Coordinate regulatory documentation activities.
- Analyze budgetary or accounting data.
- Prepare operational budgets.
- Pay charges, fees, or taxes.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
Abilities
| Oral Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.9 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.9 | |
| Written Expression | 3.8 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.8 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.8 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.8 | |
| Near Vision | 3.8 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.6 | |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.4 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.4 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.4 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.3 | |
| Number Facility | 3.3 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.0 | |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.0 |
Essential skills
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 | |
| Active Listening | 3.8 | |
| Speaking | 3.8 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 | |
| Writing | 3.5 | |
| Monitoring | 3.4 | |
| Mathematics | 3.3 | |
| Active Learning | 3.1 |
Transferable skills
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.5 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.4 | |
| Coordination | 3.3 | |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.1 | |
| Service Orientation | 3.1 | |
| Time Management | 3.1 | |
| Persuasion | 3.0 | |
| Negotiation | 2.9 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 66.
Tools & technology
Showing the top 40 of 237.
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
- Preparation level
- SVP (7.0 to < 8.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services , Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services , Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Conventional | 7.0 | |
| Enterprising | 3.9 | |
| Investigative | 3.6 | |
| Social | 2.1 |
Interest areas
| Accounting | 7.0 | |
| Finance | 5.4 | |
| Office Work | 5.4 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 3.6 | |
| Management/Administration | 3.5 | |
| Law | 3.3 | |
| Information Technology | 2.8 | |
| Business Initiatives | 2.6 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 5.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 4.0 | |
| Integrity | 3.0 | |
| Cautiousness | 2.5 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $52,780 |
| 25th percentile | $64,660 |
| Median (50th) | $81,680 |
| 75th percentile | $106,450 |
| 90th percentile | $141,420 |
| People employed | 1,448,290 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 483,970 | $82,000 |
| Finance and Insurance · Sector | 118,140 | $87,980 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 104,930 | $86,010 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 90,600 | $83,940 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 70,350 | $80,500 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 65,490 | $82,400 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 64,000 | $76,870 |
| Construction · Sector | 61,820 | $81,580 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 50,520 | $75,600 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing · Sector | 50,410 | $79,990 |
| Information · Sector | 35,230 | $98,320 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 34,560 | $79,990 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Other Electric Power Generation · National industry | 5.19× | 170 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 4.78× | 483,970 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 3.98× | 104,930 |
| Solar Electric Power Generation · National industry | 3.82× | 500 |
| Labor Unions and Similar Labor Organizations · National industry | 3.48× | 3,460 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing · Sector | 2.27× | 50,410 |
| Finance and Insurance · Sector | 2.02× | 118,140 |
| Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers · National industry | 1.97× | 8,290 |
Related occupations
Part of the Financial Services career cluster.
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks · 43-3031.00 Compare →
- Financial Examiners · 13-2061.00 Compare →
- Treasurers and Controllers · 11-3031.01 Compare →
- Tax Preparers · 13-2082.00 Compare →
- Financial Managers · 11-3031.00 Compare →
- Budget Analysts · 13-2031.00 Compare →
- Credit Analysts · 13-2041.00 Compare →
- Personal Financial Advisors · 13-2052.00 Compare →
- Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents · 13-2081.00 Compare →
- Financial and Investment Analysts · 13-2051.00 Compare →
- Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks · 43-3051.00 Compare →
- Management Analysts · 13-1111.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Accountants and Auditors — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Bachelor's degree · typical entry level
- Job zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services · field of study
- Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 89th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Accountants and Auditors show 93rd-percentile AI task overlap — and about 124,200 annual U.S. openings
- Accountants and Auditors rank in the 93rd percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 124,200 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be about average (+4.6%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $81,680, across about 1,448,290 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Accountants and Auditors show 93rd-percentile AI task overlap — and about 124,200 annual U.S. openings • Accountants and Auditors rank in the 93rd percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 124,200 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be about average (+4.6%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $81,680, across about 1,448,290 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Accountants and Auditors". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-13-2011-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Accountants and Auditors." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-13-2011-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Accountants and Auditors. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-13-2011-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-13-2011-00,
title = {Accountants and Auditors},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-13-2011-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.