Making a career in public finance management

Public Finance or public economics is the art and science of policy making of the governments. Qualified public finance specialists thus can easily find positions with not only government agencies, but also various private organizations such as economic consultancy firms, multinational corporations, insurance companies, research institutes and government advisory bodies. The positions range from public finance management experts, public expenditure managers, project management and evaluation experts, financial and credit analysts, tax analysts, accountants and so on.

It includes extensive study and research for providing operational support and technical assistance to address issues relating to public expenditure efficiency, impact of fiscal policies, social protection policies, subsidies, taxation, macro-fiscal sustainability of social security systems, public investment, and management of fiscal risks from public-private partnerships.

Public finance management experts

Public finance experts are needed by different levels of government – federal, provincial, local, municipal – with capacity for budget preparation and administration.

Public expenditure managers

Nowadays the expenditure budgets are prepared using the modern techniques such as the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and government departments seek such experts.

Public project management

Government planning and finance departments require experts on public project design and evaluation. They are expected to conduct a variety of studies in the areas of cost-benefit analysis and evaluate the economic and financial feasibility.

Income tax experts

Tax experts with sound income tax accounting methods are required in many public and private business organizations.