Half of the roles will be based outside of London, expanding Accenture’s presence in Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh and Glasgow, and adding to its existing UK workforce of approximately 11,000 people. The new roles are being driven by increased client demand for services in platforms, cloud engineering, cybersecurity, data and intelligent operations.

Simon Eaves, Market Unit Lead, Accenture in the UK & Ireland, said: “The UK economy is rebounding swiftly following the pandemic and we are seeing strong demand from clients seeking to capitalise on this growth opportunity. We are committed to growing our footprint across the UK which is why I am particularly excited about our plans across Scotland and northern England where we see some of the best technology talent in the country.”

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “Today’s announcement is a huge vote of confidence in UK plc and shows that, backed up by a skilled workforce, the UK remains one of the best locations to expand and grow a business. This expansion by Accenture is a great example of the kind of digitally focused, high-skilled jobs that will help level up economic growth across the whole of the UK and help us build back better.”

Digital Secretary Nadine Dorries said: “It's fantastic to see Accenture creating thousands of new high-skilled jobs in a number of our regional tech hubs. This investment is testament to the UK's global reputation for innovation and talent. We're determined to level up opportunity across the country and are investing in people's digital skills and digital infrastructure so businesses can thrive."

Shaheen Sayed, Technology lead for Accenture in the UK & Ireland said: “This announcement underlines Accenture’s important place in the UK’s technology ecosystem and our commitment to the country’s skills agenda. The pandemic showed how technology underpins so much of the powerful transformation that our clients are undertaking. I’m hugely excited to welcome future generations of talent to our team during a fantastic time to work in technology as it redefines how we live and work.”

The announcement continues Accenture’s investment in the UK following six acquisitions made earlier this year - cloud and digital transformation consultancy Infinity Works, SAP partner Edenhouse, leadership and talent consultancy Cirrus, retail technology and supply chain consultancy REPL Group, management consultancy BCS Consulting and innovation strategy firm Founders Intelligence.