Times are changing and the Big Four accounting firms are not immune to the turning tides. Layoffs at PwC have been announced, with 1,500 employees expected to walk out of the company doors one last time. The PwC job cuts in the US don’t come as a surprise as the company has made considerable changes to its business over the last three years including the flawless execution of “silent layoffs.”
After Deloitte announced job cuts at its own businesses last month, it was only a matter of time before the other members of the Big Four (EY, KPMG, PwC) revealed their plans to downsize the company. For 2025, the PwC employee cuts will center heavily on the audit and tax departments, affecting a range of roles across the board.
News of the PwC restructuring explains that the decision will affect 2% of the company’s US workforce, after multiple smaller cuts in the UK and Australia over the last two years. With a market slowdown and economic pressures weighing the company down, an ill-timed rebranding has also irked employees to no end, with the PwC jobs cuts now serving as the icing on the figurative cake.
The PwC layoffs set the stage for other more business-centric changes that are to come. (Image: PwC)
PwC Layoffs to Affect 1,500 Employees in the US
First things first, what do we know about PwC’s staffing changes so far? PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), is laying off around 1,500 workers in the US, in its second round of cuts since September, when the accounting firm cut 1,800 workers. The PwC job cuts in 2025 represent approximately 2% of the company’s US workforce, which is believed to include around 75,000 workers.
PwC’s 2025 job reduction strategy will primarily affect employees in the Assurance and Tax wings of the company as well as areas of the company’s legacy Products and Technology business. This employment news at PwC was revealed by an email shared by Assurance head Deanna Byrne with employees, altering them to the imminent changes.
Affected employees can expect to be notified about their roles starting today, May 6. Layoff emails are easily one of the most heartbreaking communications to receive from employers, so we expect it will be a tough week for many at PwC.
What is PwC Exploring Employee Cuts?
There are a couple of different reasons we can point to for the PwC layoffs in 2025. From low attrition to an overall market slowdown, the Big Four accounting firms are being confronted by a changing market that no longer prioritizes their expertise.
Low Attrition Rates
The unverified email from Assurance head Byrne hinted that persistently low attrition rates are partly to blame for the PwC job cuts in the US. The job market has intimidated employees into staying on at their existing roles, which has left the company with surplus staffing and no change in talent.
Market Slowdown
There has been a notable decline in the demand for advisory services, particularly consulting, which has led to PwC staffing changes to realign the workforce with market needs.
Strategic Restructuring
Paul Griggs, CEO of PwC US, took over the role in 2024 and indicated that the company needed to restructure its product and technology teams to better integrate them within the individual business lines of audit, tax, and consulting. This attempt to streamline the business processes has an important role in the PwC restructuring news.
Economic Pressures
The PwC job cuts in the US follow a broader trend among the Big Four firms, which have also reduced staff due to post-pandemic hiring frenzies and economic slowdowns. The US market is rife with change and PwC is not immune.
PwC Layoffs Face Backlash for Its Ill-Timed Rebranding Effort
In April 2025, PwC unveiled a new global brand identity, replacing its crest with a more minimalist logo. The rebrand was described as a modern reflection of the company’s ethos: fast, sharp, and focused on what is next. The rebrand was a minor one on the surface, just a slight shift and reassertion of the company identity, but it was a costly change nonetheless.
The rebrand sparked significant pushback from employees, who saw the move as “tone-deaf” given the ongoing trend of layoffs and cost-cutting measures, not just at PwC, but in the industry at large. Critics also felt similarly, adding to the PwC layoffs backlash with their insights on how the refreshed look didn’t do much for the brand image amidst news of job cuts and program uncertainties.
Change in company branding, especially for a business as large as PwC, comes at a high cost. (Image: PwC)
The Hidden Cost of Misaligned Priorities: Employee Dissatisfaction
The PwC layoffs present much disappointment for employees but the timing of the rebranding further sours the mood at PwC. Employees took to platforms like LinkedIn and Reddit to express their frustrations with the PwC 2025 job reductions and the costly rebrand that felt insulting at a time when employees were facing the brunt of the cost-cutting measures.
The PwC employment news highlights a critical HR challenge—balancing corporate strategy with employee morale, particularly during times of uncertainty. The backlash against the PwC layoffs was inevitable, but it also reveals a disconnect between the vision that leadership has for the organization and employee sentiments.
Employee Sentiments Are Just as Key to a Business’ Performances as Public Perception
PwC’s staffing changes lie beyond employee control, and all existing workers can do is express their frustration and continue to work with reduced enthusiasm for their jobs. While PwC’s rebranding was meant to leave an impact on clients and customers who were the target audience for the renewed vision, the employee sentiments are just as much of a representation of the brand’s identity.
Unhappy, unsatisfied employees aren’t ideal business partners, so as much as the rebrand might have helped to revive the image of the business, the dented morale among workers has diluted the company image simultaneously.
What Role Does HR Have to Play with the PwC Layoff Backlash?
It is up to HR leaders to speak up for employees as the brand ambassadors who represent the company ethos first. Unfortunately, the PwC employee cuts serve as a good example of what not to do before reorganization efforts are announced.
Before big changes are made at any organization, conducting surveys and testing the impact of the decision is essential. This can provide some actionable measures to address and reassure employees before more public changes and announcements are made. We’re certain that the layoffs at the Big Four will proceed uninterrupted despite the employee dissatisfaction, but the manner of conducting these job cuts is just as critical to the business as the decision to make the changes.
PwC’s second round of layoffs in less than a year has left workers unsettled. Will matters calm down in the next few months? We’ll keep you updated on how things change. Subscribe to The HR Digest to stay up-to-date with the evolving landscape of HR and employment.
