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Hello and welcome to the show. I’m Megumi Yamaguchi. The accounting industry in Australia is valued at over $20 billion and is a growing industry that employs more than 120,000 people. But the perception by the industry is that the number of quality graduates is on the decline. This perception, combined with the relatively high turnover rate in the industry, This perception, combined with the relatively high turnover rate in the industry, is why recruiting accountants is so important. In this show we’ll examine recruitment into the accounting industry and look at the directions firms can take to improve their recruitment outcomes. Some of the key issues we’ll be covering include: Is the perception that accounting major graduates available for recruitment is falling based on fact or just a myth? What makes public accounting unattractive for students? Are the accounting firms doing enough to attract new graduates? Are universities doing enough to make graduates job-ready for a profession in accounting? Joining me to provide expert commentary and a background to the research in this area is Professor Chen from TIMR University, welcome. Thank you, Megumi, it’s my pleasure to be here. And, Ms. Zoe, Director of GJ Securities. Welcome. Thank you for having me. Professor, you have significant experience in researching the accounting industry, particularly in relation to recruitment and retention. What do you think is the most critical for accounting firms to know going into the recruitment process? Well if I had to boil it down to one thing, I would say it’s knowing your target audience.