The global shortage of accounting and finance talent is worse than ever. Or maybe it doesn’t exist. It all depends on who you ask.

A new study from Robert Half International finds that 56 percent of finance and HR managers worldwide are having a tough time finding enough accounting talent.

Keeping that talent is even harder. Seventy-three percent U.S. respondents said they’re worried about losing top performers to other employers, up from 46 percent last year.

But is there really a shortage of talent? In an editorial titled “What Staffing Crisis?” Accounting Technology Associate Editor Alexandra DeFelice argues that the “shortage” might just be a case of employers who aren’t looking hard enough for the tools that can help them find the talent. After examining a number of these tools and strategies, DeFelice concludes: “Maybe it’s time to stop whining about the staffing crisis and start talking about realistic ways to solve it.”

Hopes are high that a record number of accounting graduates will help solve the crisis (assuming the crisis exists, right Alexandra?). In a recent MACPA podcast, generational expert Cam Marston says employers who understand the attitudes and work habits of the new generation of CPAs will have a leg up in recruiting and retaining new talent. Listen to his ideas here.

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What do you think? Is the staffing crisis real? If so, what are you doing to attract and retain new talent?