UK's KPMG, E&Y Put a Hold on Some Hiring

KPMG and Ernst & Young have a put on a hiring freeze in the United Kingdom, according to a feature in today’s issue of Accountancy Age:

KPMG has ended its huge surge in staff numbers, with the Big Four firm set to announce that its headcount has not increased over the last year.

E&Y meanwhile has a staff recruitment freeze, only recruiting in senior or technical roles.

KPMG has seen staff numbers increase hugely over the last few years. Its annual reports reveal staff numbers of 8,936 in 2005, then 9,815 in 2006 and as many as 10,331 in 2007. But it is thought the firm's annual report will reveal the growth has come to an end.

A spokesman for KPMG said it was being affected by the current business climate.‘We're not taking on additional people. We're not expanding when it comes to head count. We've been hiring up until recently,’ he said.
The spokesman said the firm’s recruiting of 1,000 graduates will go ahead as planned this week.

Does that mean a freeze is coming to the U.S.?

It doesn't seem that way. Ernst & Young plans to hire more than 5,000 interns and full-time hires this year from top college campuses in the U.S. and Canada, the company said through its spokesperson.

Over at KPMG, they’re getting ready to host a 48-hour virtual recruiting fair next week that will feature hundreds of job opportunities in tax, advisory and specialized audit services with KPMG member firms worldwide. More than 10,000 interested applicants have already registered for the online event through KPMG’s global website at http://www.kpmg.com/.