PwC UK Launches Targeted Voluntary Exits in Audit Division
Senior associates and managers are reportedly among those affected as the firm adjusts staffing in parts of its audit practice where employee turnover has remained unusually low
PwC UK has introduced targeted voluntary exits within its audit division as the firm adjusts staffing levels following lower-than-expected employee turnover and slower market growth.
PwC confirmed that a small number of voluntary departures were being sought in parts of the audit practice where natural attrition had remained low, focusing on senior associates and managers. The firm has not disclosed how many employees are expected to leave.
A PwC spokesperson said the exits were intended to ensure that the firm retained the appropriate mix of skills to respond to market opportunities. The firm said affected employees were receiving support during the process.
The reductions follow a period in which employee turnover across parts of the professional-services sector has remained below firms’ expectations. Big Four staffing models traditionally depend on substantial numbers of employees leaving voluntarily each year, allowing the firms to recruit new graduates and maintain their hierarchical workforce structures without relying heavily on formal redundancies.
PwC and other large accounting firms expanded their workforces during the surge in demand that followed the pandemic. As market growth subsequently moderated and fewer employees left voluntarily, firms were left with more staff at certain grades than their current workforce plans required.
The PwC programme forms part of a wider adjustment across the UK Big Four. Deloitte recently offered voluntary redundancy to approximately 175 employees in its audit and assurance business, principally managers and assistant managers. KPMG has also proposed substantial reductions in its audit practice after citing unusually low attrition in parts of the division.
PwC has made several workforce adjustments in recent years. In 2025, the firm announced plans to remove approximately 175 junior audit roles after challenging market conditions and low voluntary turnover reduced the need for replacement recruitment.
The latest programme differs from that earlier exercise in two respects: it is described as voluntary and targeted, and current reporting indicates that it is focused on more experienced grades rather than principally junior auditors. The absence of a disclosed headcount makes it difficult to assess its scale relative to the reductions at KPMG and Deloitte.
The decision comes as PwC prepares to report average UK partner remuneration of more than £900,000. The staffing programme and partner remuneration reflect different aspects of the firm’s finances and should not be treated as directly connected without further evidence, but their proximity may sharpen scrutiny of how the firm distributes the effects of slower growth across its workforce.
PwC has characterised the exits as a limited workforce-planning measure rather than a broad restructuring of the audit practice. The programme nevertheless adds to evidence that the Big Four’s post-pandemic expansion has been replaced by a period of tighter capacity management, slower recruitment and more selective staffing decisions.
Related Coverage
City AM: PwC set to cut audit jobs amid market slowdown
Identifies senior associates and managers as the grades affected and includes PwC’s confirmation that it is seeking a small number of targeted voluntary exits.
Consultancy.uk: PwC trims audit headcount amid slow growth
Places the programme within PwC’s recent operational changes and the wider slowdown affecting large professional-services firms.
People Matters: Layoffs reach PwC as Big Four firms continue audit workforce reset
Compares PwC’s programme with recent workforce reductions at Deloitte and KPMG and examines the role of low employee attrition.
HRKatha: PwC launches voluntary exits in UK audit business
Provides a concise account of the reported grades affected, the absence of a disclosed headcount and PwC’s explanation for the programme.
Big4News: KPMG and Deloitte UK enhance redundancy packages
Provides internal context on the separate workforce reductions already under way at two of PwC’s principal UK competitors.
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