| Abstract [eng] |
97 pages (including appendices), 5 tables, 10 figures, 2 appendices, 63 references. The aim of this master's thesis is to analyse the challenges and development perspectives of the auditing profession in Lithuania by combining scientific literature analysis with the experience of practising auditors. The objectives of the study include examining theoretical aspects of the auditing profession, identifying practical challenges, and evaluating future development directions. A mixed research design is applied, integrating literature review, document analysis, and an empirical qualitative study based on the Delphi method. Quantitative data from the second Delphi round are evaluated by calculating medians and standard deviations. The literature review revealed that the concept of auditing has evolved from a narrow financial document verification function towards a broader role of assurance and trust facilitation. This evolution increases expectations placed on auditors' competencies and simultaneously widens the expectation gap — a structural tension between what auditing can deliver and what society expects from it. The empirical findings reveal four principal challenges. First, the declining attractiveness of the profession was rated as the most significant challenge across all analysed categories — experts unanimously noted that the profession is losing its ability to attract young people at the primary career selection stage, with the average age of auditors in Lithuania exceeding 54 years. Second, the regulatory environment is structurally imbalanced, as EU-level requirements are growing faster than market participants can absorb them, with smaller practitioners bearing a disproportionate burden. Third, technological transformation is a dual phenomenon — artificial intelligence simultaneously increases efficiency and demands new competencies. Fourth, the small market specificity of Lithuania creates informal social pressure on professional independence that formal rules cannot fully neutralise. Regarding development perspectives, the study identified four main directions. Experts unanimously agreed that the human essence of auditing — professional judgement, scepticism, and accountability — will endure regardless of technological advancement. Sustainability assurance was identified as an emerging market opportunity opened by the CSRD Directive, while the transformation of professional organisations — from licensing bodies to knowledge centres — was recognised as a structural condition for modernising the profession. Higher education reform was identified as a prerequisite for realising all other development perspectives. The findings of this study can be used to improve auditor training programmes, inform professional policy development, and strengthen the competitiveness of the Lithuanian audit sector within the European context. |
