Business

Record recruitment and planned Merchant Square move earns PwC top UK accolade

Paul Terrington, PwC NI chairman and the firm's head of UK Regions
Paul Terrington, PwC NI chairman and the firm's head of UK Regions Paul Terrington, PwC NI chairman and the firm's head of UK Regions

NORTHERN Ireland is PwC's fastest-growing UK region for a second year in a row, with both recruitment and investment hitting record levels.

The business advisory firm's latest annual report confirmed that PwC’s Belfast office increased its workforce by 82.6 per cent from 2016.

That prompted its decision to make one of its largest ever investments in regional offices, with the planned move to the 200,000 sq m £70 million Merchant Square development in the city centre in early 2021.

Already the largest office outside London with 2,300 people (up from 1,259 in 2016), Merchant Square will support increased recruitment to around 2,800.

Much of the growth has been driven by the Operate division, the operational delivery service, which has helped to deliver £100m revenue in the past year.

Paul Terrington, PwC NI chairman and head of UK Regions, said: “We’ve seen exceptional growth in Northern Ireland and the move to Merchant Square is a catalyst for us to transform how we work for our clients in a new, technology-enabled way.

“Against a backdrop of political and economic uncertainty, the board’s decision to invest here underlines its confidence in Northern Ireland as a place to do business, attract talent and build for the future.

“Clients, from start-ups, family businesses and international firms, have unrivalled access to the latest tech, unique insight and dedicated support – something which will be amplified in Merchant Square - designed to be the most accessible PwC office in the UK.”

Nationally, PwC has delivered unparalleled investment in the regions, creating larger offices in strategic sites and driving the number of people working outside London to 44 per cent (10,200), up from 35 per cent (7,885) in June 2016.

The report – ‘Building a Digital Future’ - shows that PwC UK experienced higher than expected growth over its financial year as clients seek help tackling uncertainty, risk and the need to transform.

Revenue for the year ended June 30 rose by 12 per cent to £4.23 billion.

In the year ahead, the firm has announced plans for a £140m investment in people, quality, training, technology and upskilling.