Accenture in Transition: AI-Driven Restructuring of the Workforce

Accenture is in the midst of a comprehensive transformation process to prepare its workforce for the age of artificial intelligence. In light of recent developments, both layoffs and new hires are on the consulting company's agenda. As announced by CEO Julie Sweet in a recent conference call, Accenture is pursuing a strategy of 'rapid talent rotation.' This involves employees whose skills cannot be adequately adapted leaving the company, while simultaneously planning to expand the workforce in the coming year. Despite the layoffs, the number of employees on a global level, including in the USA and Europe, is expected to increase. At the end of August, the company employed over 779,000 people, a slight decrease of about 12,000 employees compared to three months earlier. Accenture's CFO, Angie Park, explained that restructuring costs of about $615 million have been incurred in connection with severance payments. This figure is expected to rise to around $865 million. Another highlight of the strategic realignment is the divestment of two acquisitions for cost savings and reinvestment in the workforce and business. Since the fiscal year 2023, Accenture has nearly doubled its number of specialists in AI and data and trained over 550,000 employees in the fundamentals of generative AI. CEO Sweet emphasized that advanced AI plays a central role in every business area of Accenture and is seen as a growth driver. Accenture recorded revenue of $69.7 billion in the fiscal year 2025, an increase of 7% compared to the previous year. This transformation follows a trend in the tech industry, as seen with Microsoft and Meta, which are also restructuring their workforces to focus on promising technologies such as data, cloud, and AI.