TALENT
Our people help us deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity
Talent is one of our most important areas of competitive differentiation.
We access, create and unlock people's potential and help them achieve their professional and personal aspirations.
$1.1 billion
invested in continuous learning and professional development
~40 million
training hours
World’s Best Workplaces™
#10 on the World’s Best Workplaces™ by Great Place to Work® and Fortune
Our talent strategy
Our strategy is based on three pillars—how we access talent, create talent and unlock people's potential.
Accessing talent
Finding the best and most diverse people
People are drawn to our purpose, the cutting-edge work we do with industry leaders, and our talent brand.
26%
Our top source of hires in fiscal 2023 came from referrals, representing 26% of our overall hires
Our award-winning global New Joiner Experience (NJX) onboarding program is a year-long experience that immerses new joiners in our culture, core values and purpose.
52 countries
In fiscal 2023, we welcomed new joiners from 52 countries who were onboarded with NJX
Our recruiting approach discovers talent at scale and speed by using AI-based tools to search our talent database and match keywords or job descriptions to candidates.
Continuing to invest in our communities, we reach and empower previously untapped pools of talent, innovatively creating pathways and opportunities.
North America
We exceeded our goal for apprenticeship hires, making up 20% of our entry-level hiring.
United Kingdom
We had 238 apprentices in our U.K. apprentice program. More than 58% of apprentice hires were female and over 63% were from low socio-economic backgrounds.
India
The Tech Expressway Academy enables entry-level engineers in our Advanced Technology Centers across India to develop in-demand skills. Approximately 57,000 people have completed the two-year program, with approximately 13,000 fast-tracked promotions.
Switzerland
Apprenticeships are integral to the Swiss educational system, with more than two-thirds of students pursuing an apprenticeship after compulsory studies. The four-year Apprenticeship Accenture Switzerland program, launched in 2017, trains compulsory school graduates in software development.
Germany
In our Dual Study Program in Technology, students alternate between working at Accenture and studying at the Cooperative State University. After completing the program—a balance of theoretical foundation and practical application—students earn a bachelor‘s degree in informatics, business informatics or digital business management.
Spotlight
"The apprentice program really enabled me to explore deeper into the consulting world. I enjoyed all the trainings that were available to me—that really helped me to be ready for what I’m doing today on my projects. I received guidance and hands-on learning that honed my skills and helped me find my career direction, paving the way for an exciting future."
— YUAN, Analyst - Accenture Song, Development Program, Toronto, Canada
Creating talent
We invest in our people’s capabilities so they can work with purpose, boldly and innovatively solving problems.
$1.1 billion
We invested $1.1 billion in learning and professional development, delivering ~40 million training hours
370,000+
As of August 31, 2023, our people held more than 370,000 credentials in cloud or industry platform
Our Technology Quotient (TQ) program—an ongoing technology skills curriculum and learning program—helps our people learn about the emerging technology needs of our digital world. TQ topics include cloud, AI, extended reality, and quantum computing
~637,000
of our people participated in TQ; as of August 31, 2023; ~528,000 demonstrated knowledge in at least 10 of the 12 current TQ topics
In fiscal 2023, we created a multi-level learning journey designed to cultivate leadership skills, mindsets and behaviors across Accenture.
Our new People Leadership Credential includes self-paced learning, live practice, learn-by-doing exercises, coaching, mentoring and self-reflection opportunities.
The Accenture Leadership Essentials set the standard for what we expect from all our people and enable us to successfully create 360° value:
- Always do the right thing, in every decision and action
- Lead with excellence, confidence and humility, as demonstrated by being a learner, building great teams and being naturally collaborative
- Exemplify client-centricity and a commitment to client value creation
- Act as a true partner, to each other, our clients, our ecosystem and our communities—committed to shared success
- Care deeply for all our people to help them achieve their professional and personal aspirations professionally and personally
- Live our unwavering commitment to inclusion, diversity and equality, as demonstrated by personal impact and overall results
- Have the courage to change and the ability to bring our people along the journey
- Actively innovate—seeking new answers, applying a tech, AI and data first mindset, looking internally across Accenture and outside—to partners, competitors, startups, clients, academia and analysts—to learn, respectfully challenge our assumptions, and apply the innovation, and cultivate and reward our people for doing the same
Skills data helps us create talent. When we help our people with the development of their unique skills, we can provide a more personalized employee experience.
We tailor learning recommendations to offer opportunities that align with an individual’s interests and our clients’ needs.
$3 billion
investment in our Data & AI practice over the next three years
80,000+
We plan to double our AI talent to 80,000+ people
~600,000
of our people already trained in data and AI fundamentals
Spotlight
"I was part of a cohort of senior Accenture executives who participated in the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence (CSAIL) program, where we learned and debated about AI and Generative AI. The program was intensive and engaging, and we explored advanced AI concepts, practical applications and real-world case studies. This was a valuable, eye-opening experience that provided new ideas on how and where to leverage Gen AI, some of which I am already testing with my clients."
— ROBERT, Managing Director - Strategy & Consulting, Data & AI LATAM Lead, São Paulo, Brazil
Unlocking people's potential
We help drive positive change by unlocking people's potential with our clients and in our communities.
We strive to help our people feel Net Better Off so they feel they are:
Healthy and well—physically, emotionally and financially
Connected, with a strong sense of trust and belonging
Their work has purpose and makes a meaningful difference
They have market-relevant skills that lead to vibrant careers
Building vibrant careers
Our vibrant career paths are flexible by design, so our people are encouraged to develop their skills, bring new ideas, suggest creative solutions and lend their bold, authentic voices to their work.
~123,000
people promoted in fiscal 2023
Aspiration-led staffing
Our Advanced Technology Centers in India use an aspiration-led approach to staffing, effectively balancing client demand with our people’s aspirations. This initiative aims to drive greater retention, improve pyramid efficiency and lower recruiting costs.
~44,000
of our people with access to the aspiration-led staffing in India have defined their aspirations
Recognition moments
Throughout the year, we recognize our people for who they are, what makes them unique and the valuable contributions they make through their work. We offer a social tool that our people can use to recognize and express gratitude to their colleagues.
7
recognition moments every minute, on average, were enabled in fiscal 2023
Total Rewards
Our Total Rewards program consists of cash compensation, equity and benefits, and is tailored to the market where our people work and live. Certain rewards, like equity and bonuses, are opportunities for our people to share in the overall success of our company.
Equal pay for equal work
Pay equity at Accenture means our people receive pay that is fair and consistent when considering similarity of work, location and tenure at career level. We conduct an annual pay equity review; as of our last review, which reflected pay changes effective December 1, 2023:
We had dollar-for-dollar, 100% pay equity for women compared to men in every country where we operate.*
By race and ethnicity, we had dollar-for-dollar, 100% pay equity in the U.S., the U.K. and South Africa, which are the locations where we currently have the data available to use for this purpose.
*Certain subsidiaries and recent acquisitions, countries with de minimis headcount, temporary employees and interns were excluded from the analysis.
Making well-being a priority
We provide our people and their dependents with a comprehensive range of health benefits, from medical, dental and drug coverage to supplemental programs tailored to individual countries.
Across Accenture, our people have access to employee assistance programs, public health systems, company-sponsored health programs and mental health and wellness programs, where relevant.
Workplace health and safety
We have received ISO® 45001 certification—a globally recognized standard for occupational health and safety—in countries including Australia, Brazil, India, Ireland, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. Our goal is to bring all our countries to a baseline standard equal to ISO® 45001.
We enhanced our Global Health and Safety program with new training and tools, building on our global governance model. Our Global Assistance and Protection (GAP) team continues to provide crisis management, security advice and assistance to our people. The GAP team maintains a 24/7 Global Watch program to assist our people with security risks, health advice and security alerts covering where they live, work and travel.
Emotional, mental and financial well-being
We strive to create an environment and provide the tools, programs and practices for the emotional health and well-being of our people.
The Accenture Well-being Hub provides all our people with a single online source for our global emotional health and well-being offerings.
In fiscal 2023, we enhanced the Accenture Well-being Hub with new resources to equip our people to make informed personal financial decisions that will fuel their financial security and resilience.
We are on a journey to be a leader in offering a unique set of foundational benefits to all our people, regardless of where they live and work, so they can be their best selves—professionally and personally—and achieve their aspirations.
Our goal is to provide the following level of minimum benefits globally, where legally allowed or available in the market.*
Telehealth services
We offer telehealth services to ~98% our people—including virtual access to non-emergency medical services for common ailments.
Preventative health care
We offer ~85% of our people a range of preventative health care services—such as exams and immunizations—through Accenture-sponsored plans or government-provided plans.
Vacation
We offer all our people a minimum of 15 days of paid vacation, inclusive of vacation entitlements, non-statutory holidays and additional paid time off.
Maternity leave
We aim to provide a minimum of 16 weeks of paid maternity leave or the equivalent paid time away to all birth parents, inclusive of dual parental benefits and social subsidies, where available. This benefit is offered to approximately 97% of our people.
LGBTIQ+ medical plans
Equal access to medical plans for same-sex partners and/or recognized domestic partners is offered to 100% of our people where currently provided to spouses.
Coverage for transgender-inclusive health care benefits is accessible to 99% of our people through Accenture-sponsored medical plans or government-provided plans.
Bereavement leave
To give all our people time to grieve, we provide paid bereavement for the loss of a family member, specific to each country’s local norms.
We strive to provide a minimum of four weeks of paid leave to our people who experience the loss of a spouse or a partner, or child(ren), including a stillbirth. This benefit is offered to ~80% of our people, inclusive of statutory requirements and parental leaves.
We are also working to reduce the stigma around miscarriage with paid bereavement leave that goes above local market standards.
*Excludes Avanade, a joint venture between Accenture and Microsoft; Accenture Federal Services; and recent acquisitions.