Accenture laid off more than 11,000 employees in 2025 as CEO said workers who can't be reskilled for AI are being 'exited'
Sep 26, 2025Accenture cut its global workforce from 791,000 to 779,000 (more than 11,000 employees) between roughly June and September 2025, with layoffs continuing through November 2025, as part of an $865 million 'business optimization' restructuring program expected to save over $1 billion. On a September 26, 2025 earnings call, CEO Julie Sweet said the company's primary strategy is upskilling staff on AI, but that it is 'exiting on a compressed timeline' employees for whom reskilling is 'not a viable path' for the skills the company needs. Accenture reported $615 million in severance costs in fiscal Q4 2025 alone, with roughly $250 million more expected the following quarter. The company said it had reskilled 550,000 workers on generative AI fundamentals and grew AI/data specialists from 40,000 to 77,000, and continues hiring in the US and Europe even as it exits staff tied to AI-driven restructuring.