Accountants Can Celebrate: Tax Day is Over & Americans are Seeing the Profession in a New Light

MELVILLE, N.Y., April 19 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tax Day millions of Americans can breathe a little bit easier as a result of having completed their taxes – among those breathing easier are the thousands of accounting professionals that make meeting the deadline possible. This year, nearly one-third (30 percent) of U.S. adults used accounting professionals to get their taxes done, according to an online survey conducted in April for Ajilon Finance by Harris Interactive®.  Additionally, the survey found that among those who use an accountant, 64 percent use the same accountant every year, and nearly 50 percent feel they would not be able to do their taxes without the help of an accountant (46%). Additional findings include:

• Not So Boring After All: The vast majority of adults do not agree with the stereotype that accountants tend to be boring (88 percent) and even further, an impressive 84 percent feel that the professional itself is not boring.
• Trust Thy Accountant: More than half of adults who have accountants (53 percent) trust them fully with their financials and 2 out of 5 adults (39 percent) have developed a personal relationship with their accountant.
• Help Is Wanted: Despite only 17 percent of adults thinking that the accounting profession will offer many job opportunities for the future, Labor Department data actually indicates that the profession will continue to be one of the fastest growing fields over the next decade.
• Not Just A Seasonal Job: While the official Tax Day may be behind us, almost all adults (98 percent) recognized that accountants work hard all year round and not only the months during tax season.

"At Ajilon, we work with accountants everyday and these survey results only reinforce the fact that Americans count on accountants all year round for financial, budgeting and quantitative expertise," says Janette Marx, senior vice president for Ajilon Finance. "This is exactly why we've decided to kick off our inaugural Accountant Appreciation Month aimed at providing a wide range of ways to recognize these hard working individuals."

In honor of Accountant Appreciation Month, Ajilon Finance has a great way to show colleagues, finance industry members and accountants appreciation for the hard work they do all year. From now until May 31, 2010, people can log onto the Ajilon Facebook page and either send a "golden calculator" virtual gift, or a customizable video to show appreciation for their favorite finance professionals.

To learn more about Ajilon Professional Staffing, or view job opportunities in finance, please visit www.ajilon.com.

ABOUT AJILON PROFESSIONAL STAFFING

Ajilon Professional Staffing is a leader in recruiting and project consulting, with specialty divisions in finance and accounting, management and office support, and legal. In North America, more than 200 offices service a range of clients through an integrated suite of human capital solutions.

Ajilon Finance specializes in the temporary and direct-hire placement of premier accounting, financial and bookkeeping professionals.

Ajilon Office offers clients specialized administrative and management professionals on a temporary and direct-hire basis.

Ajilon Legal places highly-qualified candidates in a wide range of specialized positions including attorneys, paralegals and legal support professionals.

Ajilon Finance Solutions provides senior-level financial and operations professionals to companies on a project or interim basis.

About the survey:

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Ajilon Finance from April 5-7, 2010 among 2,024 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Anthony Guerrieri.

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American, European, and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our clients – stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

SOURCE Ajilon Professional Staffing