Accenture UK plans to hire 1,600 new professionals

Consulting firm Accenture has announced a massive recruitmnt drive in the UK, to boost its technology, strategy, and industry practices. The firm aims to hire 1,600 new employees, ranging from experienced professionals to entry-level advisors, by the end of August 2015.

Globally Accenture has just over 300,000 employees, of which roughly 12,000 operate in the UK and Ireland, across offices in Newcastle, Manchester, Edinburgh and London. In line with its growth strategy, the management and IT consultancy plans to recruit 1,600 new professionals of all levels in the UK by the end of August 2015. Olly Benzecry, Chairman and Managing Director of Accenture UK & Ireland, explains: “We are looking for skilled individuals with the drive to excel in a dynamic and fast-moving environment.”

The new hires will be added to both functional areas (e.g. Strategy, Technology) and industry units (e.g. Banking, Resources). The consulting firm will for instance create more than 450 technology and digital positions, 350 jobs spread across financial services, retail, communications and energy, and 60 openings will be created for apprentices.

Accenture's announcement follows a period of strong performance in the UK, driven by the recovering UK economy and rising demand from clients for its services. Accenture is however not the first to announce expansion plans – Deloitte for instance recently unveiled a £30 million investment in Northern Ireland, creating 338 jobs, while PwC will invest £40 million to create 807 new jobs in the same region.

In the come months more similar announcements can be expected. A recent report from the MCA reveals that the consulting industry is buoyant about growth. More than 90% of consulting firms have either met or exceeded their fee income expectations for the year, with around half saying that their fee income is markedly up. Looking ahead, growth is forecasted to further pick up, placing more focus on resource expansion and recruitment.

Big 4 firm EY also recently announced a large recruitment wave, albeit in the US, and aims at hiring 15,500 new professionals by the end of its 2015 fiscal year.