ACA, ACCA, CA, CPA, CIMA: which accounting qualification will get you a job in Singapore finance?

You’re looking to start an accounting qualification that will get you a job or advance your career in the Singapore financial services sector. Which one should you choose?

We searched through our CV database to find Singapore-based professionals who work in accounting jobs and who have a mainstream accounting designation (ACA, ACCA, CA, CPA, CIMA) – and we calculated the proportion of people holding each qualification. The chart below shows which qualifications are most popular in Singapore among people in the banking and finance industry.

What are the best accounting qualifications in Singapore? 

At 36%, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) qualification is the most common in Singapore. The city state is an international hub for accounting talent and ACCA is among the more globally recognised accounting qualifications. ACCA in Singapore works with about 210 “approved employers” that support its qualification, including the Big Four and banks such as Credit Suisse, DBS, HSBC and UOB, says Reuter Chua, head of ACCA Singapore.

Many people starting their accounting careers in the Republic, however, opt for the CA Singapore, run by the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA). The qualification (rebranded from the CPA Singapore in 2013, with local CPA holders given the new designation) is held by 22% of Singapore accountants on our database. “Singapore CA candidates are very transferable across all accounting functions in banking in Singapore – as are people with international CPAs,” says a Singapore-based recruiter.

The Certified Public Accountant (CPA) qualification is a common route into the Big Four. Accountants in Singapore hold CPAs from a number of foreign markets, in particular Australia (14% of the overall total), a country that is both a source of expat finance talent and a popular destination for Singaporean students.

Only 5% of CVs on our database in Singapore have the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) qualification, reflecting the more specialised nature of management accounting.

And 4% have the Associate Chartered Accountant (ACA) designation, awarded by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). “It’s obviously a good qualification, but in Asia it’s not seen as so international as the ACCA and is mainly held by people who studied in the UK,” says the finance recruiter. However, ICAEW members can now apply to become a CA Singapore, without sitting an exam, via a reciprocal arrangement with the ISCA.

Photo by Crissy Jarvis on Unsplash

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