Finance Analysts Lead 2027 Salary Gains as AI Skills Earn Premiums

Finance and accounting employers are placing higher value on relevant artificial intelligence skills. Separately, several specialized roles are projected to post larger 2027 starting-pay gains than the sectorwide average.

Finance and accounting salaries are projected to increase 1.8% in 2027. Financial analyst salaries are projected to rise 3.8% from 2026 to 2027, followed by staff accountants at 3.7% and FP&A managers at 3.6%.

Assistant treasurers and procurement specialists are each projected to see 3.3% growth, while payroll specialists are projected to increase 3.2% over the same period.

The salary figures measure starting base pay for new hires. They do not represent raises for employees already working in finance and accounting.

AI skills are being valued separately from the broader salary projections. Across employers, 72% offer higher pay for relevant AI skills, while 42% offer more for AI expertise than for other technical capabilities.

Among finance and accounting leaders, 82% offer higher pay for relevant AI skills, and half offer a larger premium for AI expertise than for other technology skills.

The skills associated with higher compensation include artificial intelligence, enterprise resource planning platforms, data analytics, process automation, regulatory reporting and financial-systems optimization. Finance professionals also need to review AI-generated work, maintain accuracy and compliance, and apply business judgment.

The benchmarks combine compensation data from nationwide placements, job-posting data and recruiter input. Survey findings cover more than 2,000 U.S. hiring managers, business leaders and employed workers.

The data suggests a targeted shift in hiring pay toward roles tied to scarce or business-critical capabilities, rather than a broad increase across the finance workforce. The 2027 projections will apply as employers set starting offers for new hires.