UK finance hiring practices lag AI-driven role changes, MHR CEO says

UK finance hiring practices are failing to keep pace with automation and artificial intelligence, according to Anton Roe, chief executive of payroll and HR software group MHR. Roe said finance teams are becoming faster through new tools, but many companies are still recruiting against job descriptions built around older accounting tasks, even as research he cited indicates that 70% of UK organisations plan to reskill more than half of their workforce by 2035.

In a Finextra opinion post, Roe argued that digital transformation spending will have limited effect if finance departments lack people who can interpret the data produced by new systems. He said the risk for companies is that technology improves access to information while hiring processes continue to prioritise narrow technical duties over analysis, communication and commercial judgment.

How are UK finance hiring practices changing?

Roe said the finance function is moving from reporting past performance toward helping management understand costs, risks and future choices. Compliance and accurate accounts remain part of the job, he said, but finance professionals are increasingly expected to explain financial movements and turn data into decisions.

He pointed to Financial Planning and Analysis, known as FP&A, as an example of the shift. FP&A teams typically work on forecasting, budgeting and scenario planning, using financial data to assess how a company may perform under different conditions and what management could do in response.

Roe said demand for FP&A roles reflects a broader move toward finance staff acting as advisers to the business. He also said integrated payroll and finance platforms are changing the skill mix because finance teams increasingly need to understand workforce and HR data alongside traditional ledgers.

That combination, according to Roe, means employers are beginning to value candidates with communication skills, cultural awareness and enough knowledge of people data to use payroll and HR information effectively. Those attributes were less prominent in older accounting role descriptions, he said.

What skills does MHR say finance employers should assess?

Roe said companies should consider whether candidates can learn quickly, influence decisions and make complex information usable for non-finance colleagues. He argued that those traits may matter more over the next decade than some forms of technical experience, although he said technical competence will remain relevant.

He warned that hiring can become reactive when budgets are tight or workloads rise, with companies filling immediate gaps rather than considering how finance work may change over three to five years. In his view, every new platform alters finance processes, so hiring decisions should reflect likely future operating models rather than only current demands.

Roe cited the Financial Planning Association as evidence that broader assessments can improve retention. According to the association, businesses that replaced technical exams with interviews based on real-world case studies saw average employee tenure increase from 1.3 years to 3.5 years.

The argument places finance recruitment within a wider corporate workforce issue: businesses are investing in AI and integrated platforms while also needing staff who can use those systems to support planning and risk assessment. Roe said companies that continue hiring only for current technical needs risk building finance teams that fall behind as the function changes.

This story draws on original reporting from Finextra Research.