This article originally appeared on Business Insider.
The accountant shortage is so severe that companies are delaying filing key mandatory reports.
On Friday, Tupperware said it didn’t have enough accountants to release its annual report on time. The storage container maker is the latest in a growing list of companies that have delayed their annual reports for a variety of reasons. About 70 companies have postponed annual reports this year, up 40% from last year, research firm Intelligize reported last month.
In a regulatory filing, Orlando-based Tupperware attributed the delay to “significant” past and present accounting attrition, “resulting in resource and skill gaps, limited resources and a loss of continuity of knowledge.”
Tupperware added that previous delays in submitting its 2022 annual report led to the postponement of its quarterly reports, which subsequently postponed work on its 2023 annual report.
On LinkedIn the company is hiring for a single accountant, a job in Poland.
Once an icon of American cuisine, the manufacturer now faces a series of business problems. In October, its outside accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, dropped the company as a client. Nearly a year ago, Tupperware warned investors of a potential bankruptcy due to higher losses and operating costs.’
Accounting staffing issues at Tupperware and other companies are becoming an operational headache that shows no sign of abating.
More experienced accountants are retiring as the profession, which has a reputation for long hours and unfulfilling work, has struggled to attract younger talent. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants said 75% of certified public accountants reached retirement age in 2020. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects there will be 126,500 open positions for accountants and auditors each year, on average, over the decade.
But many students say they are turned off by the fifth year of college required for accounting courses. And the average starting salary for accountants, at about $62,000, seems less attractive than other higher-paying or less stressful jobs in the business world.
“Accountants and auditors are to business what those people in the black-and-white striped shirts are to sports. We are the arbiters of business,” Steven Kachelmeier, chair of the accounting department at the University of Texas, told Business. Insider last year.
“Maybe we don’t always like referees, but without them sports is a free-for-all,” he said, explaining that if the shortage of these workers continues, accountability and integrity in business could suffer.
This year has seen a number of high-profile financial reporting errors, some of which have caused stock prices to fluctuate. In February, ride-hailing app Lyft incorrectly reported in its fourth-quarter earnings release that it expected profit margins to increase by 500, not 50 basis points, which sent its shares soaring 60% . Electric vehicle maker Rivian and gym company Planet Fitness said they made earnings typos this year.
In a similar move against Tupperware, toy giant Mattel said in a February statement that it was unable to file its 2023 annual report due to “certain deficiencies in its internal control over financial reporting.”
The Securities and Exchanges Commission may issue penalties for misstatements, including fines for delays and errors in financial reporting.