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KPMG UK announced plans to reduce about 4% of its advisory workforce in the data and technology division, affecting roles in AI and cyber security. The cuts follow a previous 600-job reduction and are part of cost controls under senior partner Jon Holt amid a prolonged slowdown in demand.
KPMG UK employees were told the firm needed to 'right-size' capacity in the affected businesses, according to people familiar with the matter. Photograph: GettyThe proposed cuts to its data and technology division amount to about 4 per cent of KPMG’s advisory workforce and affect teams including those working in artificial intelligence and cyber security, according to people familiar with the matter.
Staff whose roles are cut are expected to leave the firm in October, subject to an ongoing consultation. Employees were told the firm needed to “right-size” capacity in the affected businesses, according to the people. The cuts come just six months after KPMG put close to 600 UK jobs at risk, including more than 400 roles in audit and about 120 in advisory, as low staff attrition and subdued demand forced the firm to reduce its workforce.
, has been hit by a prolonged slowdown in demand following the pandemic-era boom in spending on professional services. The downturn has lasted longer than firms initially expected, while the rapid adoption of AI has raised questions over how the technology will reshape the industry’s labour-intensive business model. Sales in KPMG’s advisory business, which includes consulting and deals work, fell 3 per cent in the year to September 2025, echoing contractions in the consulting businesses of EY, PwC and Deloitte.
One KPMG consultant said: “It feels like a waiting game for each team. Whilst things have gotten slightly better on the winning work ... front ... it’s all a bit up in the air now, where you’re getting sent wherever there is work. ” KPMG’s UK workforce has shrunk from a post-pandemic peak after the firm hired heavily to meet booming demand.
KPMG employs about 15,800 people in the UK compared with 16,600 the previous year and more than 17,000 during the pandemic. The latest cuts are part of a broader drive to control costs under Jon Holt, KPMG’s UK senior partner, which has helped improve profitability at the firm. KPMG reported profit before tax of £576 million last year, a 14 per cent increase after the merger with KPMG Switzerland in 2024.
As a result, KPMG’s UK partners were paid more than their counterparts at PwC and EY last year for the first time in more than a decade. Average distributable profit per partner rose 11 per cent to £880,000 in the year to September 2025. The firm attributed the increase in part to “careful cost management” in response to the economic cycle.
A KPMG UK spokesperson said: “As our market evolves, we are adapting where we are focusing and how we are set up to make sure we have the right skills in place to best serve our clients.
“To respond to these market dynamics combined with low levels of attrition, we are proposing reductions in some of our advisory client-facing teams and will support our colleagues throughout this process. ” – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2026Fiserv’s new CEO faces Wall Street’s toughest turnaroundFresh fears for Dublin jobs as TikTok plans lay-offsSeeing is no longer believing: Lusk United bid to cash in on ‘Trump meeting’
KPMG Staff Cuts Advisory Workforce Data & Technology AI
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