Jeff Stimpson

The IRS and its Security Summit partners have declared the week of Dec. 5-9 “National Tax Security Awareness Week.”

Aggressive use of technology, including social networks, in recruiting no longer begins and ends with a firm’s Web site. But it sure plays a major role.

A survey by the consultancy Rosenberg Associates has turned up some surprising, and some not-so-surprising, information on the economic downturn’s effect on accounting firms.

“Some Americans are learning a jarring lesson about unemployment as they prepare their tax returns,” reads a recent story from the Associated Press. “Jobless benefits are taxed as income.”

Three-quarters of accountants say the financial crisis has changed their on-the-job responsibilities.