PwC is not shutting down globally, but in 2025–2026, it is restructuring by closing offices in over a dozen smaller or high-risk countries (including nine in Africa) and implementing layoffs (5,600 employees) due to slower growth. They are also conducting planned, week-long, firmwide, employee-rest, shutdowns.
The PwC tax scandal was a scandal involving PwC's abuse of the Australian Government's secrets to enrich itself and its corporate clients. PwC, and other Big Four accounting firms, give advice to governments on writing tax law, and also corporations seeking to avoid those laws.
In 2025, PwC was seen turning to layoffs instead, reducing its headcount by 5,600 employees to 365,000, instead of adding to its ranks. In order to meet the 2026 target, Business Insider estimates that PwC will have to hire over 40,000 workers over the next 12 months if it has any hopes of meeting its goals.
For a few years now, PwC has been instituting a firm-wide shutdown during the holiday season in order to encourage all employees to rest up and recharge for the coming year. The new Vacay, Your Way program expands that shutdown, instituting new closures around Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day.
PwC operates in 149 countries, with a global workforce of more than 370,000 people (as of FY 2024).
PwC's global leadership is taking steps to protect the firm's reputation by ending relationships with clients considered “high-risk.” The Big 4 has ceased operations in more than a dozen countries due to the market being, Too small to scale. Client risk being too high.
In February 2025, PIF announced a wide-ranging ban on employment of PwC's consultants. The ban was brought into place shortly after PwC hired around 70 forensic investigators, mostly from Deloitte Middle East in a coordinated poaching operation in October (IO, 17/02/25).
PwC India aims to triple revenue by 2030; vision champions 'Kal ka Bharat' and echoes India's growth story. Aims to achieve this ambition through increased investments in technology, AI-led delivery, new market opportunities, and expansion to a 50,000-strong workforce.
The firm had previously pledged to hire 100,000 employees by the middle of 2026. PwC trimmed its global workforce by 5,600 in its 2025 fiscal year, an apparent departure from a previous pledge to boost head count.
In short, although the federal government can temporarily operate on unpaid labor during a shutdown, private employers simply cannot. Once work is performed, wages must be paid timely, regardless of business conditions.
The boom started to dwindle in 2023, when Deloitte, EY, and KPMG made staff cuts. PwC US followed suit, laying off around 1,800 people in October 2024 and 1,500 more in May 2025.
“Historically low attrition” combined with “continued market shifts” necessitated the cuts, PwC US assurance leader Deanna Byrne said in an email to staff seen by Business Insider. Many of the staff who were laid off were newer hires, the Financial Times reported.
Deloitte is most well-known for consulting
Generally, I think people tend to go to Deloitte for consulting, PwC for audit, EY for tax. Deloitte dominates in consulting. But these are all pretty marginal differences.
The Big Four are notorious for their late nights. When it comes to work-life balance, they typically score low on employee satisfaction surveys. This is because their hours are long, and they tend to demand a lot. While a good job is a challenging one, there is a limit.
KPMG is much better than Deloitte, PwC and EY! Best in work life balance, amazing culture and people centric firm ✨ KPMG best!!!!
The latest global projections from the PwC Network suggest global growth to moderate somewhat, at 2.6% in 2025 and 2026, down from 2.8% in 2024, as geopolitical uncertainties and increased protectionism dampen the outlook.
Our brand identity refresh introduces a new brand system so that wherever a client is in the world they will have a consistent and relevant PwC experience. All the elements that make up our visual identity—logo, colour, photography - have evolved to position our capabilities as relevant for our clients and our people.
Global revenue
For the 12 months ending 30 June 2025, PwC firms around the world recorded gross revenues of US$56.9 billion, an increase of 2.9% in US dollars and 2.7% in local currency over the previous financial year's gross revenues of US$55.3 billion.
Is PwC a good company to work for? PwC has an overall rating of 3.7 out of 5, based on over 1,03,370 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months. 71% of employees would recommend working at PwC to a friend and 61% have a positive outlook for the business.