Azets grows trainee intake by 15% as others cut back amid AI shift
While many firms reduce entry-level roles in favour of automation, Azets is combining talent and technology to fast-track careers and deliver greater value to clients
Azets, the international accountancy and business advisory group, has welcomed 384 new graduates and school leavers across its UK business – an increase of 15% compared to September 2024.
At a time when global accountancy and professional services firms are cutting back on graduate and entry-level staff in favour of using Artificial Intelligence (AI), Azets is combining the two to accelerate career development and deliver better value to clients.
Those who join Azets will be accelerated into advisory roles alongside the firm’s ongoing investment in AI to help automate some of the work traditionally done by graduates and entry-level staff.
According to Peter Gallanagh, UK&I CEO at Azets, this is the Group’s response to a changing business world and reflects its desire to deliver greater value for its client base.
He said: “Business owners want advisors who can embed themselves in their businesses, help them spot challenges, threats and opportunities and come up with a plan to address or capitalise on them as early as possible. We’ve always worked like this, and the acceleration of AI has allowed us to evolve this approach by combining talent and technology to provide that service at a greater scale and a greater level of depth.”
“Many firms are replacing graduates and junior staff with AI, and while there’s no question technology is playing a bigger role in the work we do, for us it’s a case of using technology to enhance the work our junior staff do rather than replacing them.
“By automating some of the routine compliance work in areas like audit and tax, our newer staff can learn the advisory aspect of the job – the area where we provide real value to clients – alongside learning the technical aspects of accounting and progress more quickly into a role where they can work closely with our clients and add greater value to their businesses.
“This approach also benefits our early career employees as they progress further faster – and us because we retain the people that ultimately are the future of our business by allowing them to grow, develop and progress quicker.”
Research from Indeed showed that accountancy firms have posted 44% less graduate job adverts this year compared to 2023, while research from Adzuna showed graduate jobs have fallen to their lowest since July 2020. However, Peter Gallanagh says that Azets remains committed to recruiting more graduates and school leavers.
He added: “At a time when many firms in our sector are cutting graduate and entry-level roles, we’re increasing them. These hires are the future of the business, the sector and the workforce, and it makes perfect sense to invest in recruiting them in greater numbers to prepare for the future and to meet client demand.”