The number of trainees at the Top 75 accountancy firms remains static at just under 20,000 as firms tighten training budgets and overhaul their induction and training approach due to the pandemic, reports Philip Smith

Total revenue for the Top 75 accounting firms hit a record £17.7bn in 2020 as firms managed to weather the first few months of the first lockdown without reporting a hit to fee income as growth rates exceeded 5%, but profit figures were down. Philip Smith analyses the results

Fee income across the UK's largest accountancy firms grew at an average rate of 5.4% up to the firm’s latest year-ends, reporting revenues of £17.7bn, according to Accountancy Daily’s exclusive annual Top 75 survey 

The power and influence of the Big Four accountancy firms is clear to see at the higher echelons of the FTSE 100. Philip Smith analyses the alumni currently holding top jobs across the UK’s largest companies

The UK’s top 100 listed companies have seen an 8% hike in annual audits fees to hit £726m, as Big Four dominance locks out challenger firms while investment and regulatory pressure drives up costs

As the impact of intense regulatory scrutiny and audit automation escalates, the UK’s top 100 listed companies saw an 8% hike in annual audit fees to hit £726m, amid an increasing lack of competition due to Big Four dominance, Philip Smith reports

In Accountancy Daily’s third survey of ethnic diversity within the UK’s top accountancy firms, data reveal partners and staff remain overwhelmingly white while Black Lives Matter movement forces concrete action

The long-expected hike in audit fees has finally come to pass, with FTSE 250 companies now paying on average 14% more this year to their auditors than last year, while challenger firms are beginning to make inroads, reports Philip Smith

As part of the exclusive Accountancy Daily Top 75 Firms trainees survey, Philip Smith analyses the driving factors shaping the recruitment market for trainees, part qualifieds and newly qualifieds based on Hays data with salaries split by qualification and geographic location 

Trainees numbers are down at the Top 75 accounting firms despite rising fee income, signalling the first slide in numbers since the fallout from the crash a decade ago

High demand for training places at the leading accounting firms belies the fact that trainee numbers are down. Philip Smith analyses hiring trends, the use of apprenticeships and attempts to improve diversity across the profession

Accountancy Daily talks to a selection of trainees about why they want to become an accountant, and the pros and cons of their training on a mix of graduate schemes, school leaver programmes and apprenticeships