PwC continues to recalibrate its Australian workforce towards an AI future

Professional services firm PwC continues to pivot its Australian workforce towards an AI-driven future, announcing a range of new initiatives in its upskilling program for both seniors and graduates.

As per the firm, all new graduates will now participate in a week-long residential AI immersion program, while PwC’s entire bench of partners and managing directors are currently undertaking an eight-week executive AI coaching course.

The announcement comes as PwC’s US boss Paul Griggs recently told the Financial Times that senior members of the firm who wished to avoid AI would soon be replaced, while PwC’s local consulting branch has also upped the use of AI agents.

“Being in the knowledge business, we’re embracing AI disruption and investing in the solutions and skills our people need to succeed in an AI-native environment,” said CEO Kevin Burrowes. “From comprehensive graduate development to executive coaching, we want our entire workforce to responsibly and confidently harness AI to enhance their work and deliver better client outcomes.”

Hosted through the US Kellogg School of Management and with a focus on AI strategies for business transformation, more than half of PwC’s local leaders have already completed the course, including almost all of those within its consulting division, with the remainder expected to be done within a few months. All directors will also participate in a series of tailored masterclasses.

An AI-first skillset

“The goal here is not to make you an AI engineer, but if you are going to be serving our clients going forward, you’ve got to think on how you accomplish that with an AI-first lens,” PwC Australia’s advisory lead Ro Antao, who originally arrived from the firm’s Silicon Valley office and also serves as global cloud transformation solutions lead, told the AFR.

Since his appointment at start of 2024, PwC has significantly shifted its consulting offering in Australia towards technology, as part of its firm-wide strategy. In that time, the firm has also established a local AI centre of excellence, launched new genAI tools for businesses, and started offering pre-packaged agentic AI professional services solutions through AWS marketplace.

But in a wider professional services or ‘knowledge’ sector Burrowes described by as “ripe for transformation”, the firm is also positioning itself as a leader in terms of personnel, saying that the benefits of AI will only ever be realised with human oversight, requiring a greater need for softer skills such as adaptability, relationship-building, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving.

“PwC recognises that the future workforce will look fundamentally different, with AI automating routine tasks and providing greater opportunities for scale and scope,” the firm said. “But this shift requires a strategic response that goes beyond teaching people to use new tools, and our targeted approach creates bespoke learning catalogues based on an individual’s client type and skillset.”

As part of what Burrowes also described as a “significant evolution in how the firm thinks about professional development”, its entire cohort of graduates – the make-up of which is also set to evolve – will gather together for a week-long residency to learn about responsible AI principles through hands-on client simulations and practical exposure to AI applications in everyday work.

In addition to receiving specific training as to their roles, all existing staff will also have access to an AI foundations program, featuring a baseline skills assessment, basic capabilities training, and hands-on workshops for prominent tools such as ChatPwC and Copilot, while the firm will continue to introduce new aides to support teams in developing talent and enhancing their capabilities.

“By equipping our people with practical tools, skill-specific learning, and ongoing support, we’re not only preparing our workforce to lead responsibly, but also supercharging our ability to deliver innovative, data-driven solutions in a rapidly evolving landscape,” Burrowes said. “Through this transformation, PwC is helping to define what the future of professional services looks like.”