Demand for Chartered Accountants and Company Secretaries grows as exam registrations fall

Hiring Plans

About 56 per cent of Indian organisations plan to increase hiring for Chartered Accountants and Company Secretaries, according to the 'Campus Study Report 2026-27' by Aon. Another 33 per cent of firms will keep their hiring unchanged, while only 11 per cent intend to cut positions. This group records the highest net hiring intent among all tracked segments at plus 45 percentage points. Interns follow at plus 20 points, and the others category stands at plus 17 points. Non-engineers show a mildly positive intent at plus 7 points, and diploma holders sit at plus 5 points.

Other Degrees

Lateral hiring is evenly split, with 40 per cent of organisations planning to increase and 40 per cent planning to reduce such recruitment. Engineers sit at minus 4 points, as 40 per cent of firms plan cuts and 36 per cent plan increases. MBAs sit at the bottom at minus 10 points, with 44 per cent of firms planning to reduce MBA hiring and 34 per cent planning to add. About 91 per cent of organisations hire CA and CS interns, which matches the figures for BA, BCom, BSc and MA, MCom, MSc graduates, and compares to 94 per cent for BTech and MTech and 93 per cent for MBAs. About 82 per cent of organisations extend pre-placement interviews or offers to CA and CS interns, compared to 85 per cent for MBAs and 81 per cent for BTech and MTech.

Exam Data

Registrations for the CA Final exam reached 132,007 in May 2017 but fell to 99,466 by May 2025, which marks a drop of about 25 per cent. The September 2025 attempt saw 81,852 registrations, nearly 38 per cent below the 2017 peak. The May 2024 attempt saw 20,446 candidates pass, and November 2024 saw 11,500 pass, bringing the total for 2024 to 31,946 new CAs. The two 2025 attempts in May and September produced 25,713 successful candidates, about 20 per cent fewer than the previous year. Women accounted for about 35 per cent of registrations in May 2015 at 43,488 out of 123,152, and their share rose to about 41 per cent in May 2025 at 41,009 out of 99,466.

Context

Professional corporate roles like chartered accountancy and company secretaryship require rigorous professional examinations regulated by statutory bodies in India. Changes in exam registrations and pass rates directly influence the supply of qualified financial and legal professionals available to the corporate sector. Companies often rely on structured internship programs and campus recruitment to secure talent in high-demand technical fields.