Deloitte to grow UK consulting practice by 40% by 2027

• UK headcount will grow to around 11,000 by 2027 and will build on the approximately 1,200 new jobs created across the country in FY22
• £220m to be invested in Deloitte’s expertise in digital transformation, technology and advisory over the next five years
• Regional growth and strategic acquisitions will drive increased headcount

Deloitte’s UK consulting headcount will grow to around 11,000 over the next five years – an increase of approximately 3,500 from the current headcount of 7,500. This is in addition to the 1,200 new roles created in FY22, with the practice forecasting around 1,500 new roles for the current financial year (1 June 2022 to 31 May 2023).

The headcount growth plans come in response to an increase in demand from businesses across the UK for quality, skilled expertise across a range of capabilities including Digital Transformation, Cloud and Sustainability. Digital architects, cloud and machine learning engineers, app and web designers, and data scientists are just some of the c.725 open consulting vacancies that Deloitte is currently advertising for.

Regional growth

33% of headcount growth is expected to come from outside London over the next five years, around 1,000 new roles, including expansions in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the North of England. This follows on from c.530 consultants who joined the firm in the UK’s regions in FY22, including the 70 experts who joined the Belfast practice following Deloitte’s acquisition of Etain earlier in the year.

In the North West practice, which recently announced plans for a new state-of-the-art Salford office in 2023, the consulting team doubled in size in FY22, achieving headcount growth targets three years ahead of schedule.

Graduates and apprentices

In FY23, Deloitte’s consulting practice will be looking to recruit from a range of early careers and experienced candidates. This will include more than 700 graduate and BrightStart Apprentice roles in FY23 alone, a year-on-year increase of around 50%.

In FY22, Deloitte’s consulting practice hired around 500 graduates and BrightStart Apprentices, in addition to around 1,800 experienced hires. This saw its UK headcount grow to 7,500 - an increase from FY21’s headcount of approximately 6,300. The practice also welcomed 40 new partners through hires and promotions last year.

Anne-Marie Malley, UK managing partner for consulting at Deloitte, commented: “Whether its adopting new technology, implementing sustainability initiatives or undergoing large-scale digital transformation projects, our people help businesses and leaders up and down the UK deliver the best possible outcomes for their organisations.

“We are responding to client demand by growing our headcount rapidly over the next few years, starting with a record graduate and apprentice intake this year. We plan on meeting these targets through a combination of organic growth across the UK and acquisitions.

“We are committed to creating thousands of new jobs in the UK to support our clients across a raft of industries and subsectors, with at least a third of new hires coming from outside of London. We will continue to identify and invest in the UK’s best and brightest talent to solve our clients’ biggest challenges.”

Diversity

Diversity and inclusion will continue to be an important part of Deloitte’s growth ambitions for the consulting practice. In FY22, 41% of experienced hires in consulting were women, up from 35% in the previous year. Additionally, 47% of experienced hires were from an ethnic minority background, a considerable increase from 28% in FY21*. In addition, Deloitte was recently named one of the UK’s Best Workplaces for Women in 2022.

Payal Vasudeva, partner and consulting people & purpose leader at Deloitte, commented: “Our aim is to lead a transformative impact for our society and our clients through our people. And we know we are at our best when we foster an inclusive culture and embrace diversity in all forms.

“Whether it’s our award-winning BrightStarts Apprenticeship programme, our Black Action Plan, or schemes such as Code First Girls, we are continually introducing new, progressive initiatives that are designed to move the dial across a number of diversity areas. It is thanks to this effort that we are seeing progress in the diversity of the early careers and experienced hires coming into consulting, although there is still more to be done.”

Hybrid work model

Over the past year Deloitte has brought in a series of measures to attract and retain the best and brightest talent. Last summer the firm introduced a hybrid work model, Deloitte Works, allowing its people to decide when, where and how they deliver their best work for clients. Earlier this year Deloitte announced flexible public holiday leave for all UK staff, providing them with additional choice.

Malley concluded: “Our firm is consistently recognised at the number one consulting service provider globally. Our expertise in providing business and technology consultancy services to our clients also benefits how we go about our own business.

“Conversations with our human capital consultancy team resulted in a number of innovative measures that we have introduced in the last year across the firm. This includes our differentiated hybrid working model and our policy around flexible public holidays, which have created a more inclusive working environment that is proving to be very popular with our people and new joiners.”

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Notes to Editors

*Of those that disclosed.

About Deloitte’s school leavers BrightStart programme

Our BrightStart Apprenticeship programme allows people to work towards professional qualifications while also getting hands-on experience in the workplace, as an alternative to a traditional university education.

About Deloitte

In this press release references to “Deloitte” are references to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (“DTTL”) a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity.

Please see deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of DTTL and its member firms.

Deloitte LLP is a subsidiary of Deloitte NSE LLP, which is a member firm of DTTL, and is among the UK's leading professional services firms.

The information contained in this press release is correct at the time of going to press.

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