Partners of big-four accountancy firm KPMG have seen their average pay soar by 23% to £713,000 after boosting profits in the year.
The group, which has 18 partners at its Aberdeen office, expects to boost staff numbers in the Granite City by 20% this year.
The Scottish firm will also nearly double the number of employees in its Glasgow “tax centre of excellence” from 100 to 180.
Craig Anderson, KPMG’s senior partner for Scotland, said the firm struggled to recruit sufficient people in Aberdeen so they offer partners in the city a “salary differential”.
He said: “The biggest constraint in Aberdeen is the availability of skilled resource.
“That is the limiting factor for most businesses up there.
“We have a salary differential in the Aberdeen office. We are paying people in Aberdeen more than we are elsewhere in Scotland. It’s a demand bonus.”
KPMG said profits across its UK business rose 27% to £455million in the year to September 30. This was despite recording only a marginal 0.4% increase in revenues to £1.8billion.
Mr Anderson said: “The profits have improved considerably.
“But the real challenge in the current year is to get real top-line growth.
“Most of the improvements have come through greater efficiencies and cost cuts.
“There’s only so far you can squeeze costs and efficiencies.”
KPMG in the UK has 583 partners and employs around 10,800 staff.
The firm said new audit appointments included RSA, the University of Oxford and the Oxford University Press, plus an internal audit appointment to Tullow Oil.
KPMG said its advisory services saw a 15% annual increase to £308million, while tax saw a small reduction in contribution to profits from £141million to £140million for 2013.
Audit saw the largest increase in contribution of the three functions, up by 16% from £154million to £178million.