AICPA Forms New Diversity Commission

In efforts to increase diversity in the accounting profession, the AICPA has created the National Commission on Diversity. The 15-member Commission, comprised of representatives and leaders from minority professional advocacy groups, CPA firms and state CPA societies, will focus on retaining and advancing underrepresented minorities in the profession.

“The profession has made some encouraging progress recruiting from all races and ethnicities, but we still have work to do – particularly when it comes to retaining and promoting minorities,” said Ken Bouyer, chairman of the Commission and Americas director of inclusiveness recruiting at Ernst and Young. “We’ve formed the Commission because to continue to move the needle, a lot of people will need to work together. This issue is critical and ultimately our results will impact the profession for years to come.”

The Commission will use research data from the AICPA’s 2011 Trends in Supply of Accounting Graduates and Demand for Public Accounting Recruits as a benchmark for its work. According to the report, while the hiring of minority graduates increased from 17 percent in 2001 to 25 percent in 2010, only six percent of firm partners are ethnically diverse. This percentage is much lower than the 20 percent of minorities that serve in professional staff positions within the accounting profession. In contrast, the U.S. Census found that minority-businesses increased 45.5 percent from 2002 to 2007 and their receipts increased 55 percent, accounting for 21.3 percent of the nation’s businesses and generating $1 trillion in receipts. The Commission plans to use data such as this and more to research the barriers minorities face in terms of recruitment, retention and promotion and monitor population trends.