PwC's CEO Reveals Surprising Career Advice for the AI Era: Why Consulting and MBAs Are Still Worth It

AI may mean fewer consultants and accountants — at least at PwC. Paul Griggs, the Big Four firm's US senior partner and CEO, said PwC hired fewer consultants and accountants this year than it did two years ago. He expects that trend to continue as the firm hires more data scientists, engineers, and machine learning experts.

That doesn't mean Griggs feels pessimistic about the future of consultants in the AI era. In fact, he's optimistic, and he's shared the advice he gives his own college-aged kids.

Griggs, who has three children, said two of them may go into consulting, and he's supportive of this plan. He pointed out that anyone who has worked inside a professional services firm can see that the core work in accounting, consulting, and finance hasn't fundamentally changed.

The AI Jobs Barometer

Griggs referenced PwC's 2026 AI Jobs Barometer report, which analyzed more than a billion job postings worldwide. The report found that professional services roles are among the fastest-evolving, and jobs where AI requires more human expertise are growing twice as fast as roles where AI makes it easier for non-experts to perform. Wages in those occupations have risen 42% faster since 2021.

Despite AI's impact, Griggs believes that AI creates value, drives growth, and creates demand for people, technology, and solutions. He noted that PwC has the strongest pipeline of new business in its history, calling it "the biggest opportunity we've ever had."

What to Study

While consultants and accountants aren't disappearing, AI is reshaping the skills those jobs require. Griggs said PwC is hiring more people from nontraditional backgrounds, including liberal arts majors, because AI amplifies the need for "broad knowledge."

Griggs is a "big believer" in master's degrees and would support his kids going to MBA programs. He said both MBA programs and liberal arts degrees cultivate continuous learners who are curious, a quality he prioritizes. "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," he said.

PwC plans to continue recruiting from MBA and other master's programs and maintains partnerships with several universities. For example, the firm designed a leadership program with Harvard Business School called RevUp, and about 4,000 partners took a course on leading in the AI era. PwC also developed an AI training program at Wharton with professor Ethan Mollick, focusing on how partners can use tools commercially and understand AI's impact on clients.