Our people are the heart of our organisation, and we invest significant resources in making PwC a great place to work.
With over 276,000 professionals around the world, we come from many different backgrounds and places. Guided by our purpose, culture and values, we work together to build trust in society and solve problems for clients and the communities in which we live and work.
In FY19, PwC’s global headcount grew 10% to 276,005 people. We saw the largest headcount increases in Central and Eastern Europe (19%), Western Europe (17%), and Australasia and Pacific Islands (17%). The PwC network’s global presence remains strong with 1,008 offices in 742 locations across 157 countries.
PwC people by region
| FY19 | FY18 | Growth | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Americas | 73,801 | 71,222 | 3.6% |
| Asia | 73,856 | 68,963 | 7.1% |
| Australasia and Pacific Islands | 10,444 | 8,966 | 16.5% |
| Central and Eastern Europe | 13,695 | 11,538 | 18.7% |
| Western Europe | 88,064 | 75,151 | 17.2% |
| Middle East and Africa | 16,145 | 15,090 | 7.0% |
| Total | 276,005 | 250,930 | 10.0% |
PwC people by service line
| FY19 | FY18 | FY17 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assurance | 115,438 | 107,691 | 103,019 |
| Advisory | 68,194 | 62,613 | 58,817 |
| Tax | 55,261 | 50,243 | 46,904 |
| Support staff | 37,112 | 30,383 | 27,495 |
| Total | 276,005 | 250,930 | 236,235 |
PwC people and partners
| FY19 | FY18 | FY17 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partners1 | 11,464 | 11,093 | 10,865 |
| Client service staff | 222,275 | 201,164 | 188,406 |
| Practice support staff | 42,266 | 38,673 | 36,964 |
| Total | 276,005 | 250,930 | 236,235 |
1 The prior year figures above have been restated to include Partner admissions on 1 July for the relevant year.
The firm’s upskilling programme has equipped me with the tools to make me an even better storyteller.
Kiran Rane
Senior manager, Advisory practice,
PwC US
The world of work is changing rapidly. Like many of our clients, we’re going through a digital and workforce transformation ourselves to adapt and get ready for the future.
To continue to serve our stakeholders and deliver on our purpose, we need to help our people prepare for the changes that lie ahead and create an environment where people and technology thrive together to accomplish more than they could apart.
We are investing heavily in upskilling our people. Our goal is to provide our people with dedicated time to invest in developing the skills required to be successful in the digital world and to provide the best programmes and tools for them to do so.
We offer a range of different programmes and tools to unlock the creativity and innovative power of our people to provide new solutions and improve the efficiency and impact of our services. For example, in the US, over 28,000 people are taking part in our Digital Academies – two-day courses on bots, automation, and dynamic visualisation capabilities.
Globally, we also offer a Digital Fitness app, which provides people with a personalised assessment of their own digital acumen. To date, over 100,000 PwC people are actively using the app. Another tool is Vantage, a sophisticated learning platform which gives people direct, easy and fast access to a wealth of learning content from PwC and beyond.
And we’re rolling out other training modules across the world, including Learning Bursts – dynamic alerts pushed to our people to make sure that digital remains top of mind, and Personal Trainers – aligning specialists to those seeking training in particular areas.
FY19 also marked a major transformation in terms of our people processes, which were standardised and streamlined through the implementation of one consistent global human capital management system – Workday. The project was all about simplifying processes in order to create the people experience we’re looking to deliver. Our continued focus on realising the benefits of this technology (among others) supports our culture which is data-driven, technology-enabled and people-led.
In FY19, 69,734 people joined PwC firms – including 38,053 graduates and school leavers and 26,749 experienced professionals. This is a testament to our continued attractiveness as an employer of choice.
PwC people by new joiners
| FY19 | FY18 | FY17 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graduates and school leavers | 38,053 | 27,016 | 28,238 |
| Experienced professionals | 26,749 | 32,924 | 25,982 |
| Support staff | 4,932 | 4,836 | 5,032 |
| Total | 69,734 | 64,776 | 59,252 |
PwC is among the largest recruiters of graduates in the world and in addition to graduates, we are increasingly working with schools to recruit apprentices from a wide range of educational backgrounds. We are committed to attracting the best people to PwC and offering them exciting career opportunities.
Student surveys confirm that PwC is one of the most attractive organisations for graduates.
As we continue to embed technology across the PwC network and digitise our services, we’re increasingly looking for graduates with degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
PwC’s international mobility programme is extensive and key to helping us build the global acumen of our people so they can best support our multinational clients. Our strategy continues to evolve to support client needs, drive business growth, enhance quality, and create opportunities for our people. In FY19, the total number of new international moves increased by 10% to 3,294 – up from 3,006 in FY18. These moves took place across 118 countries, compared to 112 countries in FY18.
Looking at different types of mobility, new long-term international assignments increased by 2% (1,072), new short-term assignments increased by 15% (1,337), and international transfers increased by 12% (885). The proportion of new international moves undertaken by women was 45% (FY18: 43%).
Every year, we conduct a survey to find out how our people feel about working at PwC. This year, 81% took part in the survey (2018: 81%).
At 75%, our global people engagement score is consistent with last year (2018: 74%). This score reflects the extent to which employees feel passionate about their jobs and are committed to the organisation.
The vast majority of the 202,973 people who completed the survey told us that they are proud to work at PwC (83%), would recommend PwC as a great place to work (73%), and expect or plan to be working at PwC 12 months from now (73%).
Our people also tell us PwC is a place where they can grow and achieve their career ambitions, with 78% agreeing they have the opportunity to work on challenging assignments that contribute to their development (2018: 77%).
Building a culture that inspires people to learn is important too and here we are seeing positive results. More than three quarters of our people (79%) feel they are encouraged to try new things and learn from failure, up from 76% last year.
But there are also opportunities for us to improve. The percentage of PwC employees who feel that the people they work for are considerate of their life outside work has remained static at 65%. On the upside, 80% of people say their team leaders trust them to use flexibility options without compromising the quality of their work.
We continue to invest in programmes to help our people work flexibly and manage their energy and personal wellbeing so they can be their best selves at home and at work. Read about some of the everyday habits we’re encouraging our people to embrace.
Results of our 2019 Global People Survey (% of people agreeing)
