PwC’s U.S. CEO and senior partner isn’t letting his kids feel deterred by the fact that his own firm plans to hire fewer consultants and accountants: In a recent interview with Business Insider, Paul Griggs shared that two of his college-aged children might pursue careers in accounting, and he’s supportive of their dreams.
While PwC has leaned into hiring more data scientists, engineers and machine learning experts, Griggs said that the work central to accounting, consulting and finance hasn’t fundamentally changed. He added that PwC is increasingly hiring people from nontraditional backgrounds, like liberal arts majors, because of the need for “broad knowledge” in the AI age.
While hiring has changed at PwC because of AI advancements, Griggs believes that the tech creates value and growth, leading to a demand for more talent and solutions. “I think this is the biggest opportunity we’ve ever had,” Griggs told BI.
Earlier this year, the Big Four accounting firm announced it would only hire entry-level associates in its advisory division to work out of 13 offices, down from 72. Last year, PwC also announced it would recruit a third fewer new graduates by 2028.
Still, Griggs is a “big believer” in master’s degrees and would support his kids if they wanted to further their education, because those programs nurture curiosity.
“I would feel very comfortable encouraging any of my three kids to pursue further education if it’s something that they were interested in,” he said. “Those MBA programs, in so many ways, create the space for the student to go figure out how to research and discover, and not just get through the core coursework,” Griggs added.
Griggs added that PwC plans to recruit talent from MBA and other master’s programs. The firm also has partnerships with universities, such as a leadership program with Harvard Business School called RevUp, and its AI training program co-developed at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
When it comes to climbing the professional services ladder, Griggs said it “comes down to that old adage that we can’t stand to hear from our parents.”
“What you put into it is what you get out of it,” he said. “To me, that quote is saying ‘yes’ a lot, putting in time when people are not looking. It’s being curious.”
That’s even applicable to Friday nights, like doing research on a work-related topic before signing off to go for a workout or dinner, Griggs said. “Not because somebody asked them to, not because someone is counting, not because they charged the time — just because they were curious,” Griggs said.
“Energy and persistence conquer all things,” Griggs said.