Deloitte to grow UK consulting practice by 40% by 2027

Deloitte has announced it plans to grow its UK consulting headcount to around 11,000 over the next five years, investing £220m in its digital transformation, technology and advisory teams over the period.

This would be an increase of approximately 3,500 from the current headcount of 7,500, in addition to the 1,200 new roles created in FY22, with the practice forecasting around 1,500 new roles for the current financial year (1 June 2022 to 31 May 2023).

The headcount growth plans come in response to an increase in demand from businesses across the UK for quality, skilled expertise across a range of capabilities including digital transformation, cloud and sustainability. 

Around 33% of headcount growth is expected to come from outside London over the next five years, around 1,000 new roles, including expansions in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the North of England. This follows on from 530 consultants who joined the firm in the UK’s regions in FY22, including the 70 experts who joined the Belfast practice following Deloitte’s acquisition of Etain earlier in the year.

In the North West practice, which recently announced plans for a new state-of-the-art Salford office in 2023, the consulting team doubled in size in FY22, achieving headcount growth targets three years ahead of schedule.

In FY23, Deloitte’s consulting practice will be looking to recruit from a range of early careers and experienced candidates, including more than 700 graduate and BrightStart Apprentice roles in FY23 alone, a year-on-year increase of around 50%.

In FY22, Deloitte’s consulting practice hired around 500 graduates and BrightStart Apprentices, in addition to around 1,800 experienced hires. This saw its UK headcount grow to 7,500 – an increase from FY21’s headcount of approximately 6,300. The practice also welcomed 40 new partners through hires and promotions last year.

Diversity and inclusion will continue to be part of the Big Four’s growth. In FY22, 41% of experienced hires in consulting were women, up from 35% in the previous year. Additionally, 47% of experienced hires were from an ethnic minority background, a considerable increase from 28% in FY21.

Anne-Marie Malley, UK managing partner for consulting at Deloitte, said: “Whether it’s adopting new technology, implementing sustainability initiatives or undergoing large-scale digital transformation projects, our people help businesses and leaders up and down the UK deliver the best possible outcomes for their organisations.

“We are responding to client demand by growing our headcount rapidly over the next few years, starting with a record graduate and apprentice intake this year. We plan on meeting these targets through a combination of organic growth across the UK and acquisitions.”