Deloitte's workforce in Cardiff to break 1,000 employee barrier
Big Four firm Deloitte has grown its headcount in the capital city of Wales to the brink of 1,000. In the next five years, the professional services giant expects to hit a staff of as many as 1,500.
According to the latest data available from the Office of National Statistics, examining GVA, or how much money is generated through goods produced and services delivered, Wales has the lowest GVA per head – at £19,140 – of any UK nation or region. Despite these disappointing figures, Cardiff is currently topping the economic growth rate of the UK’s respective capital cities, with a rate of 5.7%, slightly higher than London. Despite the signs that the Welsh economy may be on the up, however, the region remains in the grip of a period of uncertainty, largely brought on by Brexit – with Wales currently receiving around £680 million of EU funds every year, according to the Welsh government.
Amid these challenges, demand for consultancy in Cardiff and Wales has increased, as businesses try to prepare themselves for life outside the European Union. This upping of demand, alongside a host of factors has fuelled the rapid expansion of the headcount at Deloitte’s Cardiff presence. Regional diversity, higher education standards and quality office space at affordable prices also boosted the recruitment drive.
Deloitte currently operates with 930 staff spread across three offices in Cardiff’s city centre, at Callaghan Square, Fusion Point and 6 Park Street, where the firm’s delivery centre team of 720 is based. The headcount of the offices are likely to speed past 1,000 this summer, and according to Deloitte’s Senior Partner for Wales, Wayne Harvey, could grow to a further 1,500 by 2023.
Addressing a meeting of a local networking event hosted by the Cardiff Breakfast Club, Harvey said, “That makes us the second largest office behind London in the Deloitte UK network. And if you look back eight years ago we had a total of around 145, so we have had a great deal of growth, which has been fantastic.”
He added, “We will be beyond a thousand this summer. And we should grow over the next three to five years, although with disruptive technology who knows what is around the corner, to hopefully up to around the 1,500 mark. We are offering great careers and opportunities. And it is not just us, but others as well in Cardiff’s growing and vibrant financial and professional services market.”
The Deloitte Senior Partner also stated that the firm was contributing a significant amount to the local economy by maintaining its presence in the area. Via the firm’s salary bill alone, Harvey contended that the firm boosted Cardiff’s economy by a little over £25 million.
Demands resulting from Brexit and initiatives to boost engagement amid a tightening talent market, multiple consulting firms have grown their headcount. Most recently this saw Big Four competitor EY announce plans to triple its headcount in its East and Midlands locales.
