What happens when CFOs run low on talent and high on pressure?

What happens when your finance team’s backbone starts to crack, and help isn’t on the way fast enough?

For many CFOs, this isn’t a hypothetical. It’s the reality they’re navigating in 2025. Even as more students slowly trickle back into accounting programs, the talent pipeline remains narrow, and the pressure to maintain performance only grows. So, how are finance leaders adapting? The answer is part technology, part transformation, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

The talent shortage is no longer a forecast, it’s here

In a recent Deloitte survey, a staggering 85% of CFOs at large North American firms admitted to experiencing a shortage of accounting and finance talent. This isn’t just a hiring inconvenience, it’s an operational risk. The top concern cited? A heavier workload for current employees threatens burnout and inefficiencies. Closely following were fears around loss of credibility with investors and erosion of board confidence. These worries are no longer about the future; they’re defining the present.

As the finance function becomes increasingly strategic, responsible for insights, forecasts, risk analysis, and compliance, the impact of understaffing compounds. When fewer hands are available to manage complex workflows, it doesn’t just slow operations; it undermines confidence from the top down. This pressure places CFOs in what Deloitte called “the hot seat,” juggling immediate team strain while being held accountable for long-term resilience.

Generative AI isn’t a future fix; it’s becoming a present priority

Nearly 80% of CFOs say they plan to deploy generative AI to close the skills gap within the next two years. That’s a massive jump from 2024, when only 9% of finance professionals reported using the technology.

CFOs aren’t just dabbling in AI anymore, they’re leaning on it as a lifeline. The hope is that generative AI can automate tedious, time-consuming tasks like data entry, giving leaner teams more breathing room to focus on analysis and strategy. Even more promising is the emergence of agentic AI: systems designed to operate autonomously, enabling on-demand data exploration for stakeholders with minimal human input. For AI to become a true ally, though, organizations must navigate integration, security, and perhaps most critically, employee trust.

Resistance to change may be AI’s biggest obstacle

Almost half of the surveyed CFOs say their teams are resistant to adopting new tech, including AI. That cultural hurdle could prove more challenging than any technical deployment.

Introducing AI into the finance department isn’t just a systems upgrade; it’s a mindset shift. Employees who are worried about being replaced or overwhelmed by unfamiliar tools may hesitate to adopt automation. For CFOs, this means they must act as both tech evangelists and cultural stewards, promoting not only the efficiency gains but also the potential for AI to enhance human roles rather than replace them. Without internal buy-in, even the most sophisticated AI tools may sit underused, or worse, create new friction.

CFOs are rethinking where and how they find talent

With traditional pipelines drying up, one-third of CFOs are now recruiting from other internal departments or personally getting involved in the hiring process.

This shift underscores a broader evolution in finance. Today’s roles demand more than accounting acumen; they require data literacy, strategic thinking, and tech-savviness. Pulling in candidates from marketing, operations, or IT may feel unconventional, but it aligns with the emerging hybrid skill set finance now demands. CFOs stepping into talent acquisition reflects how vital culture-fit and versatility have become in shaping next-gen finance teams.

CFOs aren’t just number-crunchers anymore; they’re workforce architects, AI integrators, and frontline strategists. The accountant shortage has forced a reckoning, but it’s also opened the door to reinventing what finance leadership looks like.

So here’s the question: As AI rises and talent models shift, will your finance team adapt fast enough or fall behind the curve?