Accenture eliminated more than 11,000 roles between May and August as it reshapes its workforce around artificial intelligence, trimming headcount from about 791,000 to 779,000 ahead of fiscal 2026.
The cuts sit within a new $865 million restructuring designed to shift spending toward AI skills and operations. The company paired reductions with continued hiring in high-growth areas.
Q4 revenue $17.6B; $865M charges through November
The consulting giant reported fourth-quarter revenue of $17.6 billion and new bookings of $21.3 billion, capping full-year revenue of $69.7 billion, up 7% year over year.
Management recorded $615 million of business-optimization costs in the quarter, largely severance,and said it expects about $250 million more in the November quarter, bringing the plan to roughly $865 million. The figures were detailed in the earnings release and echoed in a Reuters report published Sept. 25 at 16:38 UTC/Accra.
In the release, Accenture said it is “exiting people in a compressed timeline where reskilling, based on our experience, is not a viable path for the skills it needs,” while continuing to hire and invest in training.
77,000 AI specialists; 550,000 trained in GenAI basics
Accenture said it has ~77,000 AI and data specialists, up from ~40,000 two years ago, and has trained more than 550,000 employees in the fundamentals of generative AI.
The company also reported FY25 GenAI bookings of $5.9 billion and said GenAI revenue tripled to about $2.7 billion for the year, reflecting expanding client demand. These metrics are shown in the Q4 earnings presentation; bookings are also listed in the earnings release.
FY26 outlook: 2%–5% revenue growth; hiring to resume
For fiscal 2026, Accenture guided to 2%–5% revenue growth in local currency, excluding a 1%–1.5% drag from the U.S. federal business. On the Sept. 25 earnings call, executives said they expect to increase headcount in FY26 across all regions, even as they complete the restructuring.
“We significantly elevated our competitive positioning and took our next big steps to position us for growth in the age of AI,” CEO Julie Sweet told investors, emphasizing upskilling alongside selective exits.
What’s next — dated milestones
- November 2025 (Q1 FY26): Company expects ~$250 million in additional business-optimization charges in the quarter ending Nov. 30, 2025. See the earnings release for details.
- FY26 (calendar Sept. 2025–Aug. 2026): Management targets 2%–5% revenue growth and says headcount should rise as hiring resumes in priority areas. See the earnings release and call transcript.
