Laid off from PwC.
PwC went fifteen years without a formal layoff, then did two rounds in eight months, 3,300 people. The second one came with an unusually honest explanation, nobody was quitting anymore.
At a glance
What's been reported about PwC severance packages
- About 1,800 roles, 2.5% · Late 2024 round, first since 2009
- About 1,500 roles · May 2025 round
- Historically low voluntary attrition · Stated 2025 driver
- Not published · Severance terms
The latest
Two rounds in eight months after fifteen quiet years
PwC cut about 1,800 U.S. roles in late 2024, its first formal layoff since 2009, then roughly 1,500 more in May 2025, citing historically low attrition. Fortune read the pair as the end of accounting's post-pandemic mini-boom.
Previous rounds
How PwC has handled layoffs in the past
PwC's business model historically made layoffs unnecessary. Consulting and accounting run on churn, with enough people leaving voluntarily every year that a hiring slowdown shrinks the firm quietly. That's why the late 2024 cut of about 1,800 was the first formal U.S. layoff since 2009, and why the firm's explanation for the May 2025 round of 1,500 was so telling, an extended period of historically low turnover. Nobody was leaving, so the firm made the departures itself.
Fortune framed the pair as the end of accounting's mini-boom, the post-pandemic hiring surge meeting flat demand for advisory work and a frozen M&A pipeline. The rounds concentrated where the boom had over-hired, products and technology first, then audit and tax, cutting from staff level up through managers.
PwC publishes no severance terms, standard for the partnerships. The structural insight from its pair of rounds applies across professional services. When your industry's attrition collapses, layoffs follow with a lag, because the firms' financial models assume a departure rate that stopped happening. Watching your firm's turnover, which partners discuss constantly, has been a better leading indicator than watching its revenue.
Recent PwC layoffs
May 2025 · About 1,500 U.S. roles, concentrated in audit and tax, framed internally as aligning the firm for the future
Terms not published.
Late 2024 · About 1,800 U.S. roles, roughly 2.5%, the firm's first formal U.S. layoff since 2009, centered on the products and technology group and advisory
Terms not published.
Quick answers
Why did PwC start doing layoffs after fifteen years without them?
Attrition collapsed. The Big 4 model assumes steady voluntary turnover, and when people stopped quitting after 2023, PwC cut formally instead, about 1,800 in late 2024 and 1,500 in May 2025, its first such rounds since 2009.
What severance does PwC pay?
PwC hasn't published terms for either round. As a private partnership its disclosure is minimal, and individual separation agreements control. Reported practice in professional services ties packages to level and tenure.
What severance has PwC given laid-off employees?
About 1,800 roles, 2.5% (late 2024 round, first since 2009). Packages change between rounds, and your separation agreement is the only version that counts.
Where do I file for unemployment after a PwC layoff?
In the state where you worked, not where the company is headquartered. PwC's biggest U.S. hubs are New York, Florida, Texas. Severance usually doesn't block you from filing, and benefits run from your filing date, so file the same week.
Should I sign the severance agreement right away?
Not on the spot. First pin down how much review time you actually have. If you're 40 or older, federal law gives you 21 days to consider an agreement that waives age claims, 45 in a group layoff, and a waiver signed under a shorter deadline can be invalid. If you're under 40, no federal window applies and the deadline in your packet may be real, so confirm it in writing and ask for more time if you need it. Use whatever window you have to read the release terms, especially non-disparagement and no-lawsuit clauses, and don't stall past a real deadline, because offers can be withdrawn.
Can I collect unemployment if I got severance from PwC?
Usually yes, though some states delay benefits until severance pay periods end, and lump sums are treated differently than salary continuation. Check your state's rules on our state benefit pages, and file immediately either way so your claim date is locked in.
Help for people recently laid off from PwC
- File for unemployment in the state where you worked. Benefits run from your filing date, and severance usually doesn't block you. PwC's biggest hubs: New York, Florida, Texas. Somewhere else? Every state is here.
- Don't sign the severance agreement on the spot. Find out in writing how long you have to review it. At 40 or older, federal law guarantees 21 days, 45 in group layoffs. Under 40, the packet's deadline may be real, so ask for time rather than assume. Read our severance breakdown first. The clauses matter more than the number.
- Mind the health insurance window. Losing coverage opens a 60-day special enrollment period, and an ACA plan usually beats unsubsidized COBRA. Compare your options before the employer coverage lapses.
- Get your real runway number. Severance plus savings divided by reality. The calculator takes five minutes.
- Know which clocks are already running. Severance review windows, COBRA election, visa grace periods, and 401(k) rollovers all run on federal deadlines that started at termination. All five deadlines are here.