“We are exiting on a compressed timeline people where reskilling, based on our experience, is not a viable path for the skills we need,” chief executive Julie Sweet told analysts on a conference call.
Accenture said that generative AI projects accounted for $5.1bn of its new bookings in the year just ended, up from $3bn the year before. It said 77,000 of its workforce were now skilled AI or data professionals, up from 40,000 two years before.
Accenture has reduced its global workforce by more than 11,000 in the past three months and warned staff that more would be asked to leave if they cannot be retrained for the age of artificial intelligence.
Group details $865mn restructuring program and outlook reflecting sluggish corporate demand for consulting projects. The job cuts allowed Accenture to say it would continue to expand operating profit margins at its historic annual rate of at least 10 basis points in the next fiscal year © REUTERS
Source: Financial Times