PwC Australia shifts Assurance graduate intake to meet expected demand for diversified skills
Friday, 13 March 2026
PwC Australia has announced it will broaden its Assurance graduate recruitment, aiming for 50% of its 2027 intake to come from non-accounting backgrounds. This decision is a response to two urgent challenges: a projected shortage of accounting talent and the rapidly changing demands brought on by AI and technological disruption.
By diversifying its graduate intake, PwC Australia is ensuring it can build teams with the technical, analytical, and problem-solving skills needed to thrive in an AI-powered environment, while maintaining the trust and integrity crucial to its assurance work.
According to forecasts by the Future Skills Organisation, Australia is expected to face a shortfall of 6,000 accountants by 2030. At the same time, professional services firms like PwC Australia are experiencing a fundamental transformation in the skills required, as AI and technology reshape the industry.
Traditional accounting expertise remains critical and core to the firm’s assurance services, but there is an increasing demand for a broader range of technical and analytical skills. This expanded skillset will help PwC Australia meet evolving client needs, harness new technologies, and deliver reliable assurance as organisations undergo significant technological change.
Assurance leader Sue Horlin says the shift reinforces the firm’s commitment to audit quality, while future-proofing its skills pipeline.
“Historically, 95% of Assurance graduates came from accounting majors, and they will always be at the heart of the high-quality service we provide. But as AI reshapes our business, we need the right graduates with the right skills to meet the moment for our business and our clients. A greater mix of graduates with different capabilities will empower us as we harness AI and turn disruption into growth.”
To support this, the firm has developed an accelerated internal pathway, in alignment with existing requirements set out by Chartered Accountants ANZ. This enables candidates from non-accounting backgrounds to commence their chartered qualification program within six months, compared to the traditional two-years. This is in addition to PwC's tailored 18-month program, which offers graduates bespoke coaching, responsible AI upskilling, and hands-on client experience.
AI transforms the graduate experience, with trust at the core
The integration of AI has reduced time-consuming and repetitive tasks for graduates, opening new opportunities for them to focus on higher-value, client-facing work at the start of their career journey. In addition, audit clients in Australia are among the first to benefit from PwC’s new next generation audit platform; an AI-native system built from the ground up, with human auditors accountable for all outputs.
Sue Horlin said graduates are learning the importance of responsible AI from day one, through hands on training and experience.
“AI is a powerful tool but human oversight can’t be replaced. Trust is non-negotiable for PwC Australia and our clients. That’s why it’s so important for our graduates to learn how to use it responsibly. We’re building up their capability and confidence to meet the high standards set by the firm and expected by its clients.”
“Every day, our graduates engage with leading-edge AI, collaborate on AI-powered solutions, and learn from the industry’s best experts. With help from their leaders, our graduates have greater freedom to challenge themselves on AI, with a strong foundation of trusted and responsible use.”
Alexia Uri, who joined as an Assurance graduate last year, says AI has allowed her to unlock her full potential.
“AI has been part of my experience from the very beginning. It helps with routine tasks like reviewing financial statements and assisting with sampling support. That lets me focus more on analysing data, understanding client processes, developing my professional judgement, and finding accurate answers more efficiently without searching across multiple systems.”
PwC Australia is committed to responsible AI learning from day one, with a comprehensive upskilling program for graduates that includes access to foundational tools, tailored line of service development, and practical on-the-job guidance from the AI Champions Network.
Graduate applications open in February each year.
About PwC
We’re a network of firms in 152 countries with almost 328,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, advisory and tax services. Find out more and tell us what matters to you by visiting us at www.pwc.com.
PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details.
© 2026 PwC. All rights reserved.
Contact us
