ACCOUNTING OPTIMISED SKILL SET AND THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION - THE VIEW OF PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTING BODIES

The digital transformation of the accounting field is triggering a reconfiguration of the optimized skill set that is required of practitioners worldwide. Emerging technologies have set foot into accounting daily processes, triggering the need that practitioners upskill their digital competences, while also emphasizing the relevance of soft and technical skills. The optimal accounting profile, adapted to the needs of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is being analyzed in the current paper through means of a thematic literature review of the reports of professional accounting bodies. Professional accounting bodies are key change-agents that enable the optimization of financial activities and help organizations improve activities and reach their goals. In this sense, they provide the most updated information in terms of skills and competencies required of accounting practitioners. The results of the literature review present three distinct skill categories. The three groups consist of technical skills, meaning traditional accounting skills, soft skills, meaning cognitive related and behavioral skills, and lastly the study addresses the topic of digital skills which are a direct result of technological innovations in the field. The digital skill group is being validated as an individual group through the recurrence and the interest that literature of accounting bodies has on these skills.