Big Four firm PwC is cutting 1,500 jobs because not enough staff are leaving by choice

PwC is cutting staff from its US business amid what it called “historically low attrition.”

The Big Four firm PwC is laying off roughly 1,500 employees from its US workforce of 75,000, attributing the 2% reduction to historically low rates of people leaving the firm by choice.

The layoffs began Monday and predominantly target the firm’s audit and tax lines, a person familiar with the matter told B-17.

All affected staff will be informed by the end of Tuesday via an individual meeting with their talent consultant and a partner on their team, the person said.

“This was a difficult decision, and we made it with care, thoughtfulness, and a deep awareness of its impact on our people, appreciating that historically low levels of attrition over consecutive years have made it necessary to take this step,” a PwC spokesperson said.

In an email sent to staff on Monday, Deanna Byrne, PwC’s US assurance leader, called the layoffs an “incredibly tough” moment.

“This decision follows a long period of close review — along with actively supporting internal mobility and moving talent to support growth areas. But with historically low attrition and continued market shifts, this is a necessary step to better align our firm for the future,” Byrne told assurance staff in the internal email, which B-17 has reviewed.

An employee in the firm’s assurance division described the layoffs as “unnerving.” They said jobs in audit and tax had a reputation for being more stable compared with consulting divisions at the Big Four.

“I wouldn’t say this aligns with my expectation of a leading professional services firm,” the employee told B-17.

The employee added that they were not surprised by the layoffs, given that in a meeting with their regional sector leader on April 2, there was “discussion of increased pressure on the firm’s bottom line as opposed to last year.”

A person familiar with the matter told B-17 that the layoffs also affect some workers from PwC’s products and technology division as part of a longer-term unraveling of that department.

The person said some division employees had been transferred to other lines of service and the remaining employees had been let go.

PwC US is also slowing hiring and internship offers, and the Big Four firm plans to be more selective about appointments, the person said, adding that all existing offers were being honored.

In its latest financial year, annual growth at PwC’s Americas division slowed from 10.7% in 2023 to 3.4% in 2024.

Its fellow Big Four firms EY and Deloitte have also carried out layoffs and slowed partner appointments in the past year amid a wider consulting industry slowdown.