Deloitte · 14 Oct, 07:00 · Finance briefing

CFO Survey

Deloitte has released findings from a recent survey of Chief Financial Officers regarding current financial priorities and strategic outlooks.

What it means for you ↓ Courses for this story

28%average pay gap between certified and uncertified finance staff

2.4xfaster promotion with a professional credential

83%of finance leaders rank upskilling a top-3 priority

20days to your first credential

The briefing

The story
in brief.

What happened, who it affects, and why it landed on our intelligence desk — in plain English, sixty seconds or less.

Deloitte has released findings from a recent survey of Chief Financial Officers regarding current financial priorities and strategic outlooks. The report highlights how CFOs are adapting to economic pressures, focusing on cost efficiency, risk mitigation, and technological integration within financial operations. It provides insight into the shifting responsibilities of finance leaders as they balance immediate fiscal constraints with long-term organisational resilience. This data offers a clear view of the evolving financial landscape, emphasising the critical role of data-driven decision-making and strategic agility in maintaining corporate stability amidst global uncertainty.

Employer demand for Finance and Accounting skills — indexed growth since 2019
Indicative index of skill mentions in professional job postings for the field this story moves (2019 = 1)

Your move

What this means
for your career.

Every headline redistributes opportunity. Here is who this one rewards — and how to be on the right side of it.

This shift signals that finance is no longer just about backward-looking reporting but forward-looking strategy. You must demonstrate how financial data drives broader business outcomes. Skills in financial modelling, risk assessment, and data analytics are now premium assets. If you work in finance, deepen your technical expertise in these areas. If you are in another function, learn to speak the language of finance to justify your initiatives. Smart professionals will immediately audit their skill sets against these CFO priorities. Upskill in financial literacy or advanced analytics to become indispensable. Understanding how to align your department’s goals with overarching fiscal strategy will differentiate you from peers who focus solely on operational tasks.

For this story, the fields that convert it into pay are Finance and Accounting, Financial Modeling, Risk Management Strategies and Data Science — exactly the programmes matched below. The chart shows the indicative salary uplift certified professionals report in each of those fields; every one of them is a click away, from £79, finishing in as few as 20 days.

Indicative salary uplift in the fields matched to this story
Indicative ranges from published continuing-education salary studies, by field — each field is a recommended course below

Matched to this story

Enrol in these
to benefit.

These programmes position you for exactly this shift — online, self-paced, and finishing with a verifiable certificate you can share the day you pass.