Accenture cuts 11K jobs in global AI restructuring, to focus on 'reskilling', to hire more next year

Accenture has laid off thousands of employees worldwide in the last 90 day as part of a sweeping restructuring program centred on artificial intelligence (AI).

Accenture has laid off more than 11,000 employees over the last three months, as part of a $865 million restructuring program, as per Tech.co

The consulting giant confirmed the cuts during its recent earnings call, saying the move targets roles that cannot be re-skilled for the company’s shift toward AI-driven operations.

The company plans to roll out retrain of employees on AI as it seeks to capitalise on growing demand for AI services.

“We are exiting on a compressed timeline, people where reskilling, based on our experience, is not a viable path for the skills we need,” CEO Julie Sweet said.

“And, we're continuously identifying areas of how we operate Accenture to drive more efficiencies, including through AI in order to create more investment capacity.”

Sweet stressed that the company remains committed to retraining its workforce.

“Every new wave of technology has a time where you have to train and retool. Accenture's core competency is to do that at scale,” she said.

Accenture’s global headcount dropped to 779,000 at the end of August 2025, down from 791,000 three months earlier.

Despite the reductions, Sweet said the company plans to hire more employees in the coming fiscal year.

“In FY26, we expect to increase our headcount overall across our three markets, including in the US and Europe, reflecting the demand we see in our business,” she said.

The restructuring, which includes severance costs and the divestiture of two acquisitions, is projected to save Accenture more than $1 billion.

Chief Financial Officer Angie Park told local media that the company recorded a $615 million charge in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 and expects an additional $250 million charge in the first quarter of fiscal 2026.

“The business optimisation program has two parts,” Park said.

“One related to rapid talent rotation that Julie mentioned, which reflects severance associated with headcount reductions that we are making in a compressed timeline; and second, related to the divestiture of two acquisitions that are no longer aligned with our strategic priorities. These actions will result in cost-savings, which will be reinvested in our people and our business.”

Alongside the layoffs, Accenture is accelerating its push into AI.

The company has nearly doubled its AI and data specialist workforce to 77,000 since 2023 and has trained more than 550,000 employees in generative AI.

Sweet described AI as becoming “a part of everything we do” and said the company views the technology not as “deflationary” but “expansionary.”

Accenture reported a 7% year-on-year revenue increase to $17.6 billion in the June–August quarter, beating analyst expectations.

Sweet said the results underscore the company’s “unique ability to deliver for clients as they seek our help to reinvent and lead with AI.”

Accenture’s AI-driven restructuring reflects a wider industry trend. Technology giants including Meta and Microsoft have also announced job cuts in traditional roles while increasing hiring for AI specialists.