Global Chairman Mohamed Kande Says PwC Is Seeking AI Engineers, But Are There Enough To Go Around? — ‘We Just Cannot Find Them’ – AfroTech

PwC, one of the Big Four accountancy firms, is actively seeking hundreds of engineers across its global network, but says it cannot find enough qualified candidates as the firm expands its AI- and technology-driven services, according to the BBC.

“We are looking for hundreds and hundreds of engineers,” Mohamed Kande, PwC’s global chairman, told the outlet. “We just cannot find them.”

The firm has shifted its hiring focus from entry-level graduates to specialized technology talent. Kande also stated that PwC’s strategy emphasizes helping clients adopt AI and transform operations and workforces to use these tools effectively.

PwC has also made adjustments to its workforce in recent years. In 2021, the firm aimed to hire 100,000 people over five years, but Kande said AI has made reaching that target unlikely, according to the BBC.

“When we made the plans to hire that many people, the world looked very, very different,” he said. “Now we have artificial intelligence,” he said, per the outlet.

In 2024, the firm cut more than 5,600 roles worldwide, reducing its headcount below 365,000, reports Entrepreneur. Additionally, a leaked internal presentation from August 2025 showed that the U.S. division plans to reduce graduate hiring by over 30% in the next three years, citing “transformation efforts” and the “impact of AI.”

“It will be a different set of people. But we are going to make sure we have the right skill set for the right jobs,” Kande told the BBC.

While PwC’s hiring rates may be declining compared to previous years, other Big Four firms are expanding hiring. EY, for example, has added 61,000 technologists since 2023, bringing its total workforce to just under 400,000 employees at the end of 2024, Entrepreneur reports.

PwC’s growth rate isn’t the only measurement that differs from its Big Four counterparts. Financially, the accountancy firm is also growing at a slower rate.

According to a report by Consulting.us, PwC earned a global revenue of $56.9 billion for the fiscal year ending June 30, up 2.7% from the previous year. By comparison, Deloitte’s revenue grew 4.9% to $70.5 billion, and EY’s revenue increased 4% to $53.2 billion, Entrepreneur notes. According to the outlet, Kande described its own results as “a solid performance in a challenging economic climate.”