KPMG UK to cut 400+ audit roles
KPMG’s UK audit unit is set to dismiss up to 440 audit professionals as consulting demand softens and attrition falls — assistant managers and qualified auditors are the hardest hit. The move signals Big Four rebalancing around digital and transformation skills, and raises the bar for audit‑committee expertise on boards. (cityam.com)
Nearly 600 KPMG UK audit employees were told their roles may be at risk in an internal memo seen by Bloomberg on March 27, 2026. (bloomberg.com) (bloomberg.com) KPMG told staff the proposal reflects unusually low attrition in parts of its audit population and is intended to “right size those areas,” according to a company spokesperson cited by Bloomberg. (bloomberg.com) (bloomberg.com) Bloomberg said the restructuring is concentrated at the assistant‑manager level among qualified accountants and would touch about 6% of the UK audit arm’s roughly 7,100 employees. (bloomberg.com) (bloomberg.com) The UK move follows earlier audit reductions at KPMG: about 330 U.S. audit roles were cut in November 2024 and roughly 195 more in October 2025, both linked by the firm to low voluntary turnover and operational change. (cpapracticeadvisor.com) (cpapracticeadvisor.com) Bloomberg tied the announcement to wider consulting retrenchment, noting McKinsey had discussed trimming ~10% of non‑client‑facing headcount over 18–24 months — a contemporaneous industry signal referenced in the report. (bloomberg.com) (bloomberg.com) KPMG has framed the cuts as part of a longer audit transformation and—based on prior rounds—has provided severance, extended health options and career transition support to affected audit staff in other markets. (internationalaccountingbulletin.com) (internationalaccountingbulletin.com)
