Labor Costs of Implementing New Accounting Standards

SYNOPSIS Although much research focuses on informational benefits of new accounting standards, the costs of implementing them remain largely unexamined. We consider one such cost in the adoption of two recent standards: lease accounting and revenue recognition. We find an increase in the number of job postings demanding skills related to accounting for those standards around their issuance. Firms most affected by new standards, measured by accounting complexity and early adoption behavior, post more accounting jobs. Using job postings as a proxy for hiring, we estimate incremental labor costs at about 30 percent of median audit fees for each standard for the most affected firms. Our tests indicate greater regulatory compliance burden for smaller firms. We provide large-sample evidence on the lower bound for the costs of implementing new accounting standards. Our findings should interest standard setters as they evaluate the cost-benefit tradeoffs of issuing new standards. Data Availability: Data are commercially available from the sources cited in the text. JEL Classifications: J23; M41; M51.