The demand for finance professionals increased in Q1 2016 by 9% compared to Q4 2015 and 14% compared to the first quarter of last year, according to international recruitment firm Robert Walters with data from Jobfeed.

According to the data, the most sought after positions are assistant accountant, which increased 18% compared to the previous quarter, financial controller (18%) and Chartered Accountant (9%).

"If you go to the top 10 list of most wanted jobs, you see that most of them are for accountants in permanent employment, both at major accounting firms and in industry,” Rob Sturgeon, Manager Finance Division at Robert Walters, said.

The data also showed that the number of vacancies for positions in permanent employment increased by 12% compared to the previous quarter, while the number of temporary positions showed a small decrease of 6% in vacancies.

Robert Walters also states that accounting firms are seeking more permanent employees.

The Most Wanted profiles in permanent employment and growth compared with the previous quarter

1. Assistant Accountant (+ 18%)

2. Financial Controller (+ 18%)

3. Chartered Accountant (RA) (+ 9%)

4. Business Controller (+ 2%)

5. Financial Manager (+ 19%)

6. Assistant Controller (+ 2%)

7. Financial Analyst (+ 5%)

8. Manager Audit and Control (+ 17%)

9. Accountant (AA) (+ 28%)

10. Tax / Tax Accountant (+ 45%)