^{This article originally appeared on Business Insider.}

The shortage of accountants is so bad that companies are delaying filing key mandatory reports.

On Friday, Tupperware said it did not have enough accountants to issue its annual report on time. The storage container maker is the latest in a growing list of companies that have delayed their annual reports for a host of reasons. About 70 companies have postponed annual reports this year, up 40% from last year, research firm Intelligize said. calculated last month.

In a regulatory filing, Orlando-based Tupperware blamed the delay on “significant” past and present accounting loss, “which has resulted in resource and skill pool gaps, strained resources and a loss of business continuity. knowledge”.

Tupperware added that previous delays in filing its 2022 annual report led to the postponement of its quarterly reports, which then delayed work on its 2023 annual report.

On LinkedIn, the company is hiring for a single accountant, a job in Poland.

Once an icon of American cuisine, the manufacturer now faces a host of business problems. In October, its outside accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, dropped the company as a client. Almost a year ago, Tupperware warned investors about possible bankruptcy between losses and greater operational costs.'

Accountant staffing issues at Tupperware and other businesses are becoming an operational headache with no signs of abating.

Experienced accountants are retiring as the profession, which has a reputation for long hours and unfulfilled jobs, has struggled to attract younger talent. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants said that 75% of certified public accountants has reached retirement age in 2020. US Bureau of Labor Statistics PROJECTS there will be 126,500 openings for accountants and auditors each year, on average, over the decade.

But many students say they are turned off fifth year of the faculty needed for accounting courses. And the average accountant starting salary of around $62,000 seem less attractive than other higher-paying or lower-stress jobs in the business.

“Accountants and auditors are about sports just like those people in the black and white striped shirts. We are the referees of the business,” Steven Kachelmeier, chairman of the accounting department at the University of Texas. said Business Insider last year.

“We may not always like referees, but sport is a free-for-all without them,” he said, explaining that if these workers' absences continue, accountability and integrity in the business could suffer.

This year has seen a number of high-profile financial reporting errors, some of which have caused share prices to change. In February, the Lyft navigation app by mistake reported in its fourth-quarter earnings release, it expects profit margins to increase by 500, not 50, basis points — which sent its stock up 60%. Electric vehicle maker Rivian and gym company Planet Fitness said they did income typos this year.

In a move similar to Tupperware, toy giant Mattel said in a February delivery that it was unable to submit its annual report for 2023 due to “certain deficiencies in its internal control over financial reporting”.

The Securities and Exchange Commission may issue penalties for misfiling, including penalties for delays and errors in financial reporting.