Internal auditors work for:
- medium and large companies
- federal, provincial, and municipal governments
- financial institutions
- not-for-profit organizations.
Some employers use the internal audit position to train managers. Internal auditors get a good overview of an organization’s operations. They are often in charge of auditing all areas and suggest changes to senior management. They have access to the board of directors through the audit committee. Prospects for advancement are good.
Internal auditors are part of the larger 2011 National Occupational Classification 1111: Financial auditors and accountants. In Alberta, 78% of people employed in this classification work in the following industries:
The employment outlook [pdf] in this occupation will be influenced by a wide variety of factors including:
- trends and events that affect overall employment (especially in the industries listed above)
- location in Alberta
- employment turnover (work opportunities that come up when people leave existing positions)
- occupational growth (work opportunities that come up when new positions are created)
- size of the occupation.
In Alberta, the B011: Financial Auditors and Accountants occupational group is expected to have a below-average annual growth of 1.4% from 2016 to 2020. In addition to job openings created by employment turnover, 435 new positions are forecasted to be created within this occupational group each year.
Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next few years.