How to
Number of
Black CPAs
Blacks are less than 5 percent of
new hires in CPA firms and even
fewer current employees. How
do accounting firms succeed at
attracting more Blacks, helping
them become CPAs and enabling
them to become leaders?
BY FRANK K. ROSS, CPA
at the Center for Accounting Education and my many years
of experience as a senior partner in a Big Four firm have
taught me that the way to start is with low-hanging fruit
and a strong commitment from the top to make a difference—not overnight but over the long run.
Increasing the retention of all staff is a major chal-
lenge that the profession faces. Most firms continue
to address this problem aggressively. As to their Black
professionals, retention is even
more difficult. The reason for this
is very complex and not yet fully
understood. What roles do culture,
subtle and unconscious biases, lack
of advocates, etc., play in the high
turnover? Continuing study of these
areas is necessary. If the profes-
sion hopes to increase the number
of Black CPAs on their staff, they
need to make sure they retain more
of their Black hires and eventually
make them managers and partners
in their firms. By doing this, they
will, over the long run, improve
the number of Blacks at the higher
level. It will also make the profession more attractive to
middle- and high-school students looking at the profes-
sion as a career.
64%
72%
Most of the accounting profession recognizes the importance of attracting more Blacks to the field and helping them pass the CPA
exam. Few, unfortunately, have a good track record
in getting results. In 2002 and 2010, Blacks hired by
CPA firms accounted for only 3 percent and 4 percent,
respectively. Even slightly lower, the percentage of Black
professional staff members of CPA firms was 2 percent
in 2002 and 3 percent in 2010. As
expected, this has resulted in the
marginal representation of Blacks
at the management level of CPA
firms, with only 1 percent of Black
partners in 2002 and less than 1
percent in 2010, according to the
American Institute of CPAs.
I believe that this poor performance is due not to disinterest or resistance to the goal—as a
whole, our profession means well
and wants to do well—but we as a
profession are struggling with fully
understanding what works and
what doesn’t.
How do accounting firms succeed at attracting more
Blacks, helping them through the CPA barrier, and
enabling them to advance to the leadership level? Research
White
Black
Latino
Accounting-Firm Employees
by Race/Ethnicity
13%
5%
16%
5%
5%
16%
Asian
American
Indian/
Total U.S.
Population
All Accounting
Firms With
More Than 200
Employees
Source: American Institute of CPAs; U. S. Census Bureau
www.DiversityInc.com/diverse-pipeline
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