For years, the “brain drain” conversation has focused on healthcare and education. However, there’s another quiet exodus taking place, one that strikes at the heart of our economic stability: the migration of our accounting and finance professionals.
This isn’t a new trend. Since the 1960s, skilled Caribbean professionals have sought opportunities abroad. But over the past two decades, competition for accountants, auditors, and financial analysts has intensified. The US, Canada, and the UK have been actively recruiting our talent, offering not just higher salaries, but faster career progression, exposure to global markets, and advanced specialisation.
Regional firms face longer recruitment cycles, rising salary pressures, and a shortage of mid-career mentors to guide younger professionals. Compliance demands, IFRS adoption, and digital finance transformation all require expertise that we’re struggling to keep.
And yet, the pandemic taught us something important: location is no longer the barrier it once was. Remote and hybrid work mean our accountants can serve global clients without packing a suitcase. This is the opening we’ve been waiting for, but only if we act.
Moore Trinidad and Tobago has developed a retention strategy that puts young professionals at the heart of its growth. Through structured mentorship, work shadowing opportunities, and financing for further studies, they’re not just filling vacancies, they’re building careers. By fostering a team of ambitious, purpose-driven accountants committed to making a difference in the finance space, they’re proving that with the right investment, talent doesn’t have to leave to succeed.
Here’s what we must do in the next 5–10 years:
- Invest deeply in professional development: fund CPA, ACCA, and tech-driven finance skills to make staying competitive at home a real option.
- Rethink work models: offer flexibility, global exposure, and innovative client portfolios to keep talent engaged.
- Make staying rewarding: through leadership roles, career progression, and a sense of purpose in building our economies.
If we don’t, we risk becoming a permanent recruitment ground for foreign economies. But if we commit now, the Caribbean can position itself as a high-performance hub for accounting and finance talent—serving the world from right here at home.
The choice is ours. The time is now.