Knowledge Hub – Finance Recruitment & Accountancy Insights

The Autumn Budget 2025 maintains headline tax rates but increases pressure through threshold freezes, higher taxes on non-wage income, tighter business rules and new sector charges. Finance teams face greater demand for forecasting, tax planning and strategic modelling as fiscal drag intensifies.

Finance teams are shifting from large transformation projects to practical, short-term tech investments that free capacity, improve consistency and streamline workflows. With standardised processes and accessible tools, organisations prioritise quick efficiency gains, shaping hiring needs around adaptability, digital confidence and process improvement.

Businesses face widening finance skills gaps as roles now demand strategic thinking, digital capability and data insight alongside technical skills. Employers struggle to train teams due to time, cost and limited resources, requiring joint action from organisations and government to build a modern, resilient talent pipeline.

Accountants are tackling evolving cyber security risks through stronger internal controls, staff training, multi-factor authentication, client education and cloud-based systems. With rising attacks and misplaced client confidence, firms stress continuous monitoring, secure processes and proactive measures to prevent breaches beyond basic compliance.

Forty-one percent of UK business owners say they would consider moving overseas if the Autumn Budget brings further tax rises. S&W’s survey highlights widespread concern over potential changes to wealth, capital gains and inheritance taxes, prompting fears of relocation and reduced investment.

Finance leaders succeed by seeing beyond the quarter. Their calm, strategic thinking builds lasting value through discipline, foresight, and patience. True leadership in finance isn’t about reacting fast — it’s about shaping resilient businesses that thrive over decades, not months.