Big Four professional services giant PwC has announced it will embark on its largest ever recruitment drive in Scotland. As the firm looks to improve its data analytics, AI and drone capabilities in the region, more than 100 staff are due to join by mid-2019.
As the consulting industry looks to broaden its revenues across the UK, Scotland has become a major point of interest. Though the largest firms are sometimes typecast as having a myopic obsession with the big money clients in London, they have recently shown an increased appetite for northward expansion.
Recently, this saw Deloitte working diligently to expand the profile of its Digital brand in Edinburgh; something which has paid dividends since with the capture of a major FinTech contract with the Scottish Government. Now, PwC has announced it is due to launch its largest ever recruitment drive north of Hadrian’s Wall, as it bids to complete a 15% expansion of its headcount in Scotland.
A total of 120 staff are expected to join the firm’s Scottish operation over the first half of 2019, a change which is reportedly being driven by new technologies being developed in-house, from artificial intelligence to data analytics, virtual reality and drones. This would take the number of staff across its Scottish offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen to more than 1000 in total.
PwC Scotland Chair Lindsay Gardiner said, “In a challenging economic and political environment, businesses are going through fundamental changes to the way they operate. By continuing to invest in our people and expanding our technology capability, we are well-positioned to help deliver this change. Adding more than 100 staff with the skills required of a digital economy will strengthen our service offering.”
Over the last year, PwC has been working to expand or consolidate its operations across the UK to better match the demands of clients in each area. Earlier in 2018, the firm said it would grow its presence in the UK’s second city in 2019, moving to a new office in Birmingham, while it will be staffing a new Bradford base in the coming year. However, the firm is expected to close six regional offices: two internal memos leaked to the British media revealed PwC’s intent to close its 40-strong Hull presence, as well as offices in Sheffield, Plymouth, Liverpool, Norwich, Swansea and Dungannon, in Northern Ireland.
Sourced from ConsultancyUK