KPMG Australia, which employs close to 9000 people, is rolling out a new support model after a year of weaker consulting demand from both government and private clients. The professional services firm presents this as part of a broader modernisation push, following earlier workforce reductions and at a time when partners are still seeing strong pay outcomes despite the revenue slowdown.
Under the plan, roughly three quarters of the firm’s 260 executive assistants will exit in two waves, with around 100 roles scheduled to go by April and another 100 by May, while the work moves to a non-KPMG provider in the Philippines. Only about 65 assistants will remain in Australia, largely to support state leadership teams. With local executive assistants reportedly averaging salaries around $87,000 and offshore support costing closer to $10,000 a year each, the shift looks set to save roughly $17 million annually even after paying the outsourced provider and mirrors moves that another big four rival made almost a decade ago.
For KPMG this restructuring appears to be part of a wider effort to stabilise margins after Australian revenue dropped about 4% to $2.13 billion in 2024–25 and advisory income fell nearly 20% to $749 million, even though total consulting work only slid about 12% to roughly $1 billion. The firm has already reduced its local headcount by around 600 staff and trimmed partner numbers by about 30, so the assistant offshoring looks like another lever in a long-term shift toward a leaner and more scalable operating model, one that may improve cost efficiency and competitiveness but could also change how internal teams receive day-to-day support.
