Much of the initial discussion surrounding artificial intelligence in finance has centered on the potential for job displacement.
However, we’d argue that integrating AI into finance operations will only augment existing roles and generate new opportunities.
By allowing AI to take on more routine tasks, we can begin to explore what finance teams could truly accomplish with their enhanced capacity for strategic work.
But, the successful integration of AI requires finance professionals to be open to adapting their roles and workflows.
This post will delve into how AI automation is transforming finance roles, the evolving expectations of employers for finance and accounting hires, and the essential skills finance professionals need to cultivate to thrive in a tech-driven environment.
Key Findings
57% of finance teams are already using AI to handle various operations, with another 21% having acquired AI solutions, but not yet adopted them.
Finance leaders are prioritizing data science skills, with 25% ranking it as the most important skill set for their team.
Indeed saw a tenfold increase in generative AI job listings between 2023 and 2024.
Despite growing AI adoption, more than two-thirds of finance leaders plan to expand their teams in the next year due to evolving workload demands.
Artificial intelligence is automating traditional finance tasks like data entry, reconciliations, and forecasting. Machine learning-powered software can categorize expenses, flag anomalies, and generate reports in seconds, eliminating hours of manual work.
With technology handling routine processes, finance roles can shift away from bookkeeping and transactional accounting. Instead, professionals are expected to provide strategic insights, model scenarios, and guide business decisions.
Vena’s 2025 State of Strategic Finance report highlights this shift, with nearly half of finance leaders (48%) stating that their team is always involved in business-wide strategic planning.
As AI becomes more prevalent in finance operations, finance professionals must develop skills in data analysis, AI-driven forecasting, and strategic decision-making. Employers increasingly seek candidates who can bridge technology and business strategy, making adaptability essential for the future of finance.
Despite automation’s growing role in finance, certain responsibilities remain beyond AI’s reach. Strategic decision-making requires human judgment, intuition and a deep understanding of business priorities.
While AI can analyze data and identify trends, finance leaders must weigh multiple factors—including company goals and market conditions—before making financial decisions.
Key finance functions that AI cannot fully replicate include:
Creative problem-solving: Unexpected challenges (like market volatility, for instance) require innovative thinking that AI cannot generate.
Relationship management and business partnering: Finance professionals must navigate complex team dynamics and align cross-functional priorities.
While AI enhances efficiency, these human-driven functions mean finance teams remain indispensable.
AI is transforming finance by automating repetitive processes and enhancing data-driven decision-making. Machine learning, natural language processing, and robotic process automation (RPA) are streamlining tasks that once required significant manual effort.
Key applications of AI in finance include:
Predictive analytics: AI models analyze historical data to forecast revenue, expenses and market trends.
Financial planning and risk management: Automation helps finance teams assess risk scenarios and optimize budgeting strategies.
Fraud detection: AI identifies unusual transactions and anomalies in real time to prevent fraud.
Data visualization and analysis: AI-driven tools process large datasets and generate clear, actionable insights.
Process automation: RPA accelerates tasks like reconciliations, invoicing, and compliance reporting.
Hugh Cumming, Chief Technology Officer at Vena, shared one example where AI is making a difference for the Vena team:
"AI is transforming the purchasing team’s ability to analyze contracts, speeding up the review process and freeing up time for strategic work."
- Hugh Cumming, Chief Technology Officer, Vena
By handling functions like these, AI enables finance professionals to focus on higher-level strategy, guiding business decisions rather than managing routine data processing.
The finance field is evolving, and employers are searching for professionals who can adapt to new technology and contribute meaningfully to the business’s strategic decision making.
Our State of Strategic Finance report found that one in four finance leaders prioritize data science skills as the most important skill for their team.
Job listings across platforms like Glassdoor, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter show a growing interest from employers in candidates with AI, data analytics, and technical proficiency.
Indeed saw a tenfold rise in generative AI job listings in 2024, and from 2022 to 2024, there was a 75-times increase.
This increasing focus on AI and tech in job requirements is reflected in real-world job listings. Here’s a glimpse at one finance position that illustrates the growing demand for AI expertise:
This example highlights the shift towards incorporating AI experience, programming know-how, and data analytics skills in finance roles, in addition to strategic skills like finance partnering.
In fact, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) has identified data analytics, AI integration, and business partnering as critical skills for accountants in 2025, a trend reflected across the global finance landscape.
The finance industry is increasingly focusing on roles that blend traditional expertise with tech skills. LinkedIn's 2025 Work Change Report highlights that the financial services sector has witnessed the most dramatic increase in AI talent, with its share of AI-skilled workers being 40 times greater in 2025 than it was in 2016.
According to Robert Half's 2025 Demand for Skilled Talent report, positions like “Financial Analyst,” “Accounting Manager,” and “Tax Manager” rank among the top 10% of sought-after roles. These jobs now often require knowledge of data analysis, AI integration, and strategic thinking.
Reflecting this shift, insights from the expense management firm Fyle suggest that a fundamental requirement for new accountants is now the capacity to extract meaningful insights from data. This capability is seen as crucial for businesses leveraging big data to enhance decision-making agility, monitor overall performance, and proactively identify and mitigate financial risks.
The International Association of Independent Accounting Firms (INAA) also points out that contemporary tools are enabling accountants to embrace predictive analytics. This shift means that incoming finance professionals will increasingly be expected to generate accurate revenue forecasts by analyzing past data, market trends, and external influences, allowing for more dynamic budgeting and financial planning.
But another Robert Half study reveals that 71% of finance and accounting leaders acknowledge the presence of skills gaps within their teams, and an even greater proportion, 72%, have observed a worsening of these gaps' negative consequences over the past year.
To make matters worse, the pool of accounting and finance talent has been steadily shrinking. The number of U.S. accounting graduates with either a bachelor’s or master’s degree dropped by a staggering 7.4% from 2021 to 2022, marking the largest decline since 1994–1995.
On a recent episode of The CFO Show podcast, Mark Maurer, reporter for The Wall Street Journal’s CFO Journal team, revealed that the talent shortage is having real consequences:
"Companies are delaying their financial filings due to insufficient accounting personnel, which can affect their perceived value.”
- Mark Maurer, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal's CFO Journal
Smaller companies, in particular, are facing challenges as they rely on external firms for tax filings and financials, a problem that’s becoming more widespread.
The increasing demands on job postings, requiring skills beyond basic accounting, are occurring within a landscape of significant finance and accounting talent shortages. To attract qualified candidates in this competitive environment, companies may find it beneficial to highlight the opportunities these evolving roles offer.
Emphasizing the chance to work with cutting-edge technologies like AI and the opportunity to contribute directly to business strategy can make finance positions more appealing, showcasing them as interesting work with significant potential for professional growth and impact.
The future of the finance job market appears to be in flux as technological advancements, particularly in AI, influence hiring trends. While some analysts fear job displacement, others see opportunities for growth as finance teams evolve.
This section takes a closer look at current labor market trends for in-house finance teams and the potential impact of AI on job stability.
72% of respondents in our State of Strategic Finance stated they plan to expand their teams in the next year, a clear indicator of the pressure to meet increasing workload demands. Interestingly, 57% also said they’re currently using AI in their finance operations, with another 14% indicating they have plans to.
This double investment in hiring and AI would seem contradictory, but in fact shows that finance leaders aren’t planning on replacing their people with AI. Despite all the advances in AI technology, finance leaders are well aware that their team members’ skill sets remain indispensable.
As AI gains traction in finance, its potential to augment rather than replace finance professionals is becoming clearer.
This growing adoption of AI has the potential to reshape finance roles, emphasizing efficiency and enabling professionals to focus on more complex, value-driven tasks. A few examples of AI’s direct impact on these roles include:
Automated financial reporting: By automating routine reporting tasks, AI reduces the time spent on manual data entry and minimizes human error.
Enhanced forecasting and budgeting: AI tools allow finance teams to generate more accurate and timely forecasts, improving decision-making and strategic planning.
Efficient risk management: With AI’s ability to quickly identify risk patterns, finance teams can address potential issues earlier, strengthening their risk management practices.
Data democratization: With more areas of the organization having self-service access to financial insights through natural language prompts, this reduces financial reporting bottlenecks and frees up finance teams to focus on higher value work.
AI enables finance teams to spend less energy on compiling data, and more energy toward analyzing insights and shaping long-term strategies.
This shift toward AI as a collaborative tool also underscores a broader trend: AI isn’t replacing finance jobs but rather complementing and enhancing the work of finance professionals. As teams continue to embrace AI, these tools will become indispensable, driving efficiency and productivity while supporting job stability in the sector.
As AI continues to reshape finance roles, professionals must adapt to stay competitive. Beyond specific technical skills, candidates who demonstrate a proactive approach to learning and a willingness to embrace technological advancements are likely to stand out.
However, soft skills are becoming increasingly important as AI and automation reshape finance roles. While AI handles routine tasks, finance professionals will need to apply their strategic thinking, problem-solving abilities, and leadership skills to address more complex challenges.
Soft skills:
Critical thinking and problem-solving to address complex financial issues
Strong communication to turn data insights into actionable decisions
Leadership to guide teams through technological changes
Collaboration to work effectively with departments using AI tools
Adaptability with new technologies and a willingness to embrace change management
Hard skills:
AI literacy to understand and use AI tools within finance operations
Knowledge of automation tools to improve efficiency and streamline tasks
Financial modeling to create accurate forecasts and numerous types of scenarios
By developing both technical and soft skills, finance professionals can improve their ability to work with AI and play a key role in driving business success.
The rise of AI won’t replace finance workers, but those who embrace AI and automation will have a competitive edge in the evolving workforce.
To remain valuable in the finance and accounting talent market, professionals should focus on upskilling in AI, automation, and advanced data analytics. Certifications and specialized training in AI tools for finance can help provide the knowledge needed to thrive in this tech-driven environment.
Developing strong business partnering skills will also be increasingly crucial as AI takes on more routine tasks, allowing finance professionals to focus on understanding business context and collaborating effectively with other departments.
Even as AI becomes more common in finance, the need for human expertise will remain crucial. To remain vital to organizational success, finance professionals will need to build both their tech skills and their capacity to lead.
AI is reshaping the future of finance, but not eliminating finance jobs. Instead, it is creating new opportunities for professionals to enhance their roles and contribute to their organizations in more strategic ways.
For finance leaders, the key will be helping their teams stay informed, continuously learn new skills, and adapt to new tools and technologies. Those who prioritize upskilling and create an environment where their teams can grow with AI will be in the best position to lead in the future.
As finance continues to evolve, embracing technology and adapting to new efficiencies will ensure job stability and success. Vena can help your team stay ahead of the curve with innovative FP&A solutions at the forefront of AI.
Uncover what’s driving finance leaders’ strategic planning in 2025.
Download Now
