Accenture Layoffs: Over 11,000 Jobs Cut Amid AI Restructuring and Workforce Realignment

Accenture Layoffs 2025: What’s Behind the Massive Job Cuts?

Global consulting giant Accenture has announced significant workforce reductions in 2025, laying off over 11,000 employees worldwide in the past three months alone. This wave of layoffs is part of a broader $865 million restructuring plan aimed at realigning the company’s workforce with the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence (AI) landscape and shifting client demands.

The layoffs come amidst a rapid adoption of AI technologies across industries, as well as a slowdown in consulting project demand globally. Accenture’s CEO Julie Sweet highlighted that the company is focusing on “exiting people on a compressed timeline where reskilling is not a viable path for the skills we need.” This means employees unable to quickly transition to AI-related roles face exit, while the company simultaneously invests heavily in training others for AI-driven solutions.

The Scale and Timeline of Layoffs

At the end of August 2025, Accenture’s global headcount stood at approximately 779,000, down from 791,000 three months prior. The company began this round of layoffs earlier in the year, with plans to continue restructuring through November 2025. The layoffs primarily cover severance packages and are expected to save Accenture more than $1 billion over six months.

While specific numbers on all impacted roles remain undisclosed, the layoffs reflect a significant shift in talent strategy, focusing on accelerating AI adoption. The restructuring is framed as a business optimization effort that includes divesting non-core assets and closing parts of its business that no longer align with growth priorities.

AI Reshaping Workforce and Business Strategy

Accenture’s layoffs are heavily driven by the need to mold its workforce to meet new AI-focused client demands. The company has acknowledged that “reskilling based on our experience is not a viable path” for many roles that don’t align with AI skills requirements. CEO Julie Sweet emphasized the company’s commitment to investing in “agentic artificial intelligence,” a new wave of AI tools designed to automate complex tasks.

At the same time as job cuts, Accenture is ramping up its upskilling programs, training more than 70,000 employees in AI technologies to ensure they remain relevant in the transformed IT consulting landscape. This dual approach of job reductions alongside training investments illustrates the company’s strategy to reinvent its service offerings around AI and cloud solutions.

Financial Performance Amid Layoffs

Despite the workforce reductions, Accenture reported a 7% year-on-year revenue growth in the June to August 2025 quarter, reaching $17.6 billion. This performance beat estimates and demonstrates Accenture’s ability to capitalize on the growing demand for AI-led transformation projects. CEO Julie Sweet remarked that their growth affirms the company’s “unique ability to deliver for clients as they seek our help to reinvent and lead with AI.”

However, the company has tempered expectations for full fiscal year 2026, forecasting slower revenue growth of between 2% and 5%, below previous estimates of around 5.3%. This cautious outlook reflects broader industry challenges, including weaker corporate spending on consulting and federal budget tightening in the US, impacting public sector contracts.

Industry Context and Comparable Trends

Accenture’s layoffs are part of a broader trend within the IT and consulting sectors, where several top players are reducing headcounts amid skills mismatches and economic pressures. For example, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has also laid off over 12,000 employees recently, citing a need to realign skills with evolving technology demands, especially around AI and cloud computing.

The move by Accenture signals a pivotal moment in the IT services industry, where rapid AI adoption is forcing companies to pivot workforce strategies quickly. Many roles focused on legacy skills are being phased out while new roles demanding capabilities in AI and cloud technologies are prioritized.

What This Means for Employees and the Industry

For employees, the ongoing layoffs underscore the critical importance of adaptability and continuous skill development in an AI-driven future. Those who cannot meet the rapidly changing skill requirements face displacement, while others are given opportunities to retrain through company programs. Accenture’s approach highlights a compressed timeline for this transition, reflecting urgency in aligning talent to market needs.

Industry-wide, Accenture’s restructuring sets a precedent for other firms facing similar challenges. The company’s simultaneous investment in AI training and divestment from non-core businesses exemplifies how firms can manage digital transformation amid economic uncertainties.

Accenture’s 2025 workforce reduction, cutting over 11,000 jobs globally, is a clear signal of the profound changes AI is driving in the IT consulting sector. While the layoffs reflect immediate market pressures and skills mismatches, the company is doubling down on AI investments and employee upskilling to emerge stronger and more aligned with future demand.

By focusing on reskilling select employees and restructuring its business model, Accenture aims to maintain competitive advantage despite slower growth forecasts. These developments will continue to reshape employment within the tech consulting field throughout 2025 and beyond, emphasizing the critical role of AI readiness in the workforce.