Key Takeaways
- Seasonal openings can be hiding among jobs that look like ordinary year-round positions.
- Tax associates and tax experts both made Monster’s list of the most active seasonal job titles.
- A talent shortage is creating opportunities: Companies now average 17 unfilled accounting and finance positions, up from five a year earlier.
Millennials wrote off tax accounting. Now Gen Z has a reason to give it a second look, as six-figure earnings and a talent shortage have resulted in a spike in salaries for tax experts.
Tax work has earned two spots on Monster’s seasonal jobs list. The company’s 2026 Seasonal Hiring Index names tax associates and tax experts among 13 titles that saw significant seasonal posting activity in 2025. The primary busy season for tax accountants runs from late January through April 15, spurred by individual and corporate tax deadlines.
“Seasonal work is more than a short-term paycheck; it’s often the start of a longer career journey,” the Monster report said. It added that many companies use seasonal roles as a testing ground for permanent ones.
According to ZipRecruiter, the average salary for U.S. tax associates is $33.40 an hour. The same site states that tax experts make $45.67 an hour in the U.S.
Tax jobs face a significant talent shortage, which is creating an opening for newcomers. The U.S. faced a shortage of 340,000 tax accountants in 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and employers are still struggling to recruit.
Companies surveyed by Personiv, a global finance and accounting outsourcing company, reported an average of 17 unfilled accounting and finance positions in 2026, compared with five a year earlier.
For job seekers, a seasonal tax role could lead to more opportunities than a temporary paycheck. It could be the first move toward a full-time career with six-figure earning potential, Fortune reports.
The catch
The catch with tax accounting is that the seasonal hiring rush may already be passing.
Anyone waiting until the holidays to start applying for seasonal tax roles risks missing the prime recruiting window.
Monster’s analysis found that seasonal job postings rose 44% between August and September last year, and peaked in October. By November, posting activity fell 24% from October. That indicates that the prime hiring time for these roles may have already passed.
Also, the bigger paychecks in accounting come with a higher bar to entry. Tax accountants typically need at least a bachelor’s degree. Meanwhile, earning a certified public accountant (CPA) license can open the door to better-paid roles, but requires an extensive investment of time and money. CPAs provide a range of services, including tax preparation and financial planning.
Investopedia reported total compensation of up to $200,000 for CPAs with four years of experience under their belt.
For young people looking for work, even a temporary position could offer a paycheck and experience. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 53.8% of young people (ages 16 to 24) were employed in July. The youth unemployment rate was 9.1% that month.
Additionally, the transition from college to the workforce has become more difficult. A survey from career services site Kickresume found that just 12% of recent graduates secured full-time jobs before graduation this year, compared with nearly 40% of earlier graduates.
AI is adding to that uncertainty. Goodwill CEO Steve Preston said in an interview with Fortune last year that automation is reducing entry-level opportunities, which are the jobs where young workers traditionally gain experience.
How to find seasonal job postings
Seasonal openings aren’t always labeled that way.
In 2025, fewer than 3% of seasonal job postings included “seasonal,” “holiday,” or “temporary” in the title, per Monster. Searching for a specific role, such as “tax associate,” could uncover opportunities that a search for “holiday jobs” misses.
Monster also recommends widening the search across roles and industries.
“A seasonal opening can be hiding among jobs that, by title alone, look like ordinary year-round positions,” the report indicated.
Key Takeaways
- Seasonal openings can be hiding among jobs that look like ordinary year-round positions.
- Tax associates and tax experts both made Monster’s list of the most active seasonal job titles.
- A talent shortage is creating opportunities: Companies now average 17 unfilled accounting and finance positions, up from five a year earlier.
Millennials wrote off tax accounting. Now Gen Z has a reason to give it a second look, as six-figure earnings and a talent shortage have resulted in a spike in salaries for tax experts.
Tax work has earned two spots on Monster’s seasonal jobs list. The company’s 2026 Seasonal Hiring Index names tax associates and tax experts among 13 titles that saw significant seasonal posting activity in 2025. The primary busy season for tax accountants runs from late January through April 15, spurred by individual and corporate tax deadlines.
“Seasonal work is more than a short-term paycheck; it’s often the start of a longer career journey,” the Monster report said. It added that many companies use seasonal roles as a testing ground for permanent ones.
