Finance is emerging at the frontline of social change in the Caribbean, according to the world’s largest talent survey of the accountancy profession.
Nearly one in three accountants in the Caribbean (27 per cent) say their role is helping their organisation address environmental and climate issues, and 38 per cent report contributing to social impact priorities.
This influence is set to grow, with almost 58 per cent expressing a desire for finance roles that make a meaningful difference to social outcomes.
These are the findings of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants’ (ACCA) Global Talent Trends 2026 survey.
ACCA said the research sheds light on the evolving perspectives of accountancy and finance professionals, offering a unique window into how they view their working lives today and the career paths they hope to pursue in the future.
Now in its fourth year, this remains the largest annual talent survey of accountancy and finance professionals worldwide.
More than 11 000 respondents from 160 countries – including 500-plus from the Caribbean – shared insights on career ambitions, artificial intelligence (AI), sustainability, social impact, inter-generational collaboration, entrepreneurial goals and the return to office.
For ACCA, the results underline how the work of accountants is being redefined, as they take on a more active role in promoting social value and driving sustainability.
Finance professionals are not only contributing to these agendas – but they are also increasingly leading the initiatives that shape them within their organisations, it noted.
The organisation said that this evolution “reflects a broader understanding of business success, where profitability is balanced with ethics, environmental and social sustainability, technological readiness and the resilience to navigate economic uncertainty”.
“Most Caribbean respondents see accountancy as a platform for pursuing broader, purpose led aspirations. This is reflected in the growing interest in sustainability related careers and future focused roles that contribute to social impact,” Paula Marcelle-Irish, head of Caribbean, ACCA said.
“There is a significant opportunity for ambitious finance professionals across the region to use their expertise not only to report on environmental and social impact, but to help organisations lead meaningfully in these areas.”
Jamie Lyon, global head of skills, sectors and technology at ACCA, said: “One of the key themes that we continue to see this year is how accountants have ambitions around making a difference on social impact issues through the work they perform.
“It’s great to see that many say they are actually already contributing to this agenda through their current finance jobs. It’s more evidence of how roles and career paths in accountancy continue to transform and broaden out.”
ACCA said emerging key themes in the Global Talent Trends 2026 survey included the following: Finance professionals want their work to make a difference, with 53 per cent of respondents wanting their future finance jobs to assist in the environmental and climate challenge.
Fifty-five per cent of respondents were concerned about the use of AI algorithms in hiring processes, and 67 per cent of board level leaders who participated also share doubts about the growing reliance on AI when selecting talent.
Seventy-two per cent of respondents said an employer’s reputation on social and human rights was “an important attraction factor”. (PR/SC)