ACCOUNTANCY: Chartered accountants working in Clare earn more than their counterparts in any other county in Munster, according to a new survey.
The survey, commissioned by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland (ICAI) in association with Premier Recruitment, showed that chartered accountants in Clare earned an average of €79,318 (£62,468) last year. This compares to a low of €54,616 earned in Kerry.
The average remuneration package of chartered accountants in the Munster region as a whole rose by 3.7 per cent last year to €71,321, according to the survey. A total of 263 chartered accountants - 22 per cent of those contacted - completed the survey.
Chartered accountants working in industry and commerce fared better than those in public practice in terms of pay. The average remuneration package for chartered accountants working in industry and commerce last year totalled €74,298 - a rise of €4,544 on 2000. This compared to an average of €63,339 in 2001 for those in public practice, a fall of €2,246 on the previous year.
The main influences on the average remuneration package remained the size of the company, seniority of position within the company and year of qualification, the ICAI said.
The financial services industry generally provides the best benefits package across all sectors, with pension and institute subscription remaining the most widely offered benefits, according to the survey.
Among the other findings of the survey are that 18 per cent of all respondents changed their job in the past 12 months, with the majority sourcing their new employment through a recruitment agency.
The average number of days' annual leave for ICAI members in Munster is 22.7.
Nearly three quarters of all respondents have a third-level qualification, with 79 per cent of those having a degree and a further 10 per cent a master's degree. It also found 80 per cent of ICAI members in Munster use the internet regularly, with the majority shopping online.
