Why 37% of finance professionals believe flexible career paths will replace traditional roles by 2035 KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 (Bernama) -- By 2035, the way finance professionals work – including what, when, and where – will change significantly. An ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) survey found that 37% of Malaysian respondents expect flexible career paths to replace traditional ones, while 51% foresee a mix of both models coexisting.
Malaysia’s results indicate a strong preference for hybrid career models, where structured progression is balanced with flexibility, skills development, and lateral movement. Andrew Lim, Head of ACCA Maritime South-East Asia, noted that while Malaysian finance professionals still value stability, employers that combine clear pathways with opportunities to upskill, specialise, and move across roles will be better placed to attract and retain talent.
ACCA’s new report,
Career Paths Reimagined, emphasises preparing for flexible career structures. The global study surveyed 2,600 ACCA members, future members and 145 employers, highlighting skills finance professionals should develop for future success -interpersonal, technical, and technology skills, specialisations, and a curious, adaptable mindset. Career breaks and ‘micro-retirements’ are also expected to rise as professionals work longer.
Survey respondents ranked technology as the top driver of eight drivers - reshaping future career paths and workplaces, followed by changing personal expectations of work. Other drivers, in order of importance, include:
1.
Technology: Emerging technologies, automation, data analytics, and AI transforming work.
2.
Personal expectations: Greater emphasis on work-life balance, purpose, and flexibility.
3.
Geopolitics & economics: Slower growth and global fragmentation affecting prosperity.
4.
Role of professions: Shifting from knowledge guardians to interpreters and trusted advisors.
5.
Enforced changes: Increasing compliance and ethical oversight.
6.
Sustainability: Climate change and related factors influencing work and creating new roles.
7.
Societal expectations: Changing views on work’s role and value.
8.
Demographics: Longer working lives and multi-generational workplaces.
Other factors explaining why flexible career trajectories are likely to dominate include:
· An evolution of organisational structures – removing traditional middle-level roles and replacing them with more specialist roles. Entry points are evolving and are being redefined by new ways of working and a demand for specific skills and experience. Employers should seek to review their traditional career models.
· Advances in technology – reducing or transforming entry-level roles and changing the nature of the roles themselves.
· Demographic changes – lengthening the working life.
· Flattening economic performance – making sideways moves more important for career and financial progression.
· Disenchantment with the impact of more senior or executive roles on work-life balance and the immediate financial and lifestyle needs driving chosen career paths – particularly during economic and geopolitical uncertainty
Discover more about the findings
here.
SOURCE: ACCA
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--BERNAMA