KPMG plans 10% US audit partner reduction amid restructuring efforts
Around 100 partners to exit through early retirement and organisational reshaping
Workforce cuts align with reduced audit demand, not linked to performance
KPMG is preparing to reduce its number of US audit partners by about 10%, The Wall Street Journal reported. It came after the firm had pushed partners to voluntarily retire for nearly a year, which did not bring enough exits.
Even as the firm did not confirm any numbers, it is estimated that around 100 partners are set to leave the company. Some of those affected are departing under early retirement arrangements. Others are being cut as part of a broader reshaping of the business.
1 April 2026
Get the latest issue of Outlook Business
The one of big four accounting firms also said the adjustment is aimed at bringing partner numbers into line with the current scale of its audit work, not to address individual performance.
“This action is connected to a multi-year strategy to align the size, shape and skills of our team to the power of our audit platform to best serve our clients and protect the capital markets,” the publication quoted KPMG as saying in a statement.
KPMG added that the partners leaving will receive financial packages and support with finding new roles.
Notably, KPMG's audit division employs around 1,400 partners and managing directors, based on the company’s January audit-quality report. The WSJ confirmed that managing directors are not included in the current cuts.
KPMG stated that the partners leaving will receive financial packages and support with finding new roles.
Layoffs Not Uncommon
Large accounting firms have been recalibrating their headcount after going on an aggressive hiring drive during the pandemic years. The trend is not confined to any single firm — it fits a broader pattern playing out across the Big Four, which include Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PwC, all of which have been trimming their workforces as demand for services normalises from its pandemic-era highs, according to the WSJ.
The shift is not limited to accounting firms. Across the technology sector, companies are also undertaking significant workforce adjustments. Meta announced plans to eliminate over 8,000 roles and leave a further 6,000 positions unfilled as it ramps up investment in artificial intelligence. Microsoft, meanwhile, is offering voluntary buyouts to around 8,750 employees in the US, representing nearly 7% of its domestic workforce.
The scale of reductions across the broader technology sector is striking. More than 81,200 employees have been laid off by 97 tech firms so far in 2026, according to layoffs.fyi, an independent tracker monitoring job losses across the global tech and startup landscape in real time.
Sportswear giant Nike has also been cutting back, trimming 1,400 roles from its technology division. This marked the company's second round of layoffs this year, following the elimination of 775 positions in January.
