We continue our hiring analysis series for the Big 4 with KPMG. We have listed some of the key hiring trends below.
Total Job Listings
Hiring at the firm has increased over the past quarter, with Tax and Technology roles leading the way. In comparison to the rest of the Big 4, however, KPMG’s hiring increase is not as steep. This is also true for the firm’s year-on-year hiring which at 63.2% is less than the 100% or so identified for the rest of the Big 4. We wouldn’t take these figures as a negative though, KPMG led hiring for the Big 4 during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The firm did not drop hiring as substantially as the rest of the Big 4 and this highlights a level of consistency with its hiring approach regardless of external market conditions.
By Grade
As per the other firms in this series, Manager grades lead the hiring demand. We were surprised by the low hiring of junior (Analyst/Associate/Consultant) grades. This would lead us to believe that the firm’s graduate hiring during August – December 2021 was strong. Hiring for these junior grades differs from typical graduate hiring as these roles will expect at least 1-2 years of previous experience/skills in a similar role. Hiring of senior grades (Director/Partner) is high which is line with the rest of the Big 4. Tax, in particular, is looking for senior leadership roles.
By Service Line
We will provide a brief summary of the key hiring trends per Service Line below.
The ACA is the key hiring qualification for Audit. It is surprising to see a drop in ACCA requirements in comparison to the rest of the Big 4 which highlights that for KPMG, ACA professionals are a top priority.
Governance and Compliance roles lead hiring for Risk Service Lines. Roles in Security/Cyber are also in high demand. General IT risk qualifications such as CISA and COBIT can enhance the quality of applications across a range of roles.
Tax hiring at the firm is quite evenly split across a range of departments. Hiring across international tax and transfer pricing departments is high and the firm will be looking for international talent to fulfil some of those roles. CTA and ACA lead qualification requirements with these qualifications acting as a pre-requisite for most roles.
Technology roles are similar to those listed within Risk with Governance, Compliance and Security roles all in high demand. Outside of these roles, Cloud and Database (Oracle/SAP) specialists are required for tech implementation roles.
That’s a wrap on our analysis of KPMG’s hiring trends for Q1 2022. We hope it’s useful!
Until next time,
Nathan
Nathan Ranamagar is the founder of flofinder.com – the 2.0 Job Search for Professional Services. He likes Excel formulas, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Vodka Cocktails. Email: nathan@flofinder.com
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