Accenture added 2,741 employees in the second quarter of its fiscal 2026, taking its total workforce to 786,432, in a sign that hiring is beginning to recover after a prolonged period of caution in the IT sector.
The increase follows a similar trend in the previous quarter, with the company adding a total of 7,159 employees in the first half of the fiscal year. Executives indicated that hiring momentum is likely to strengthen further, with plans to step up recruitment in the second half as demand visibility improves.
Chief Financial Officer Angie Park said during the earnings call that the company expects increased hiring activity in the coming quarters, pointing to a healthier deal pipeline and growing demand for technology-led services.
Accenture’s workforce trends are closely tracked in India, where it employs a significant share of its global staff, making it a key indicator for broader hiring patterns in the country’s IT industry. The company’s attrition rate remained steady at 13% in the quarter, suggesting stable employee retention alongside renewed hiring.
The hiring uptick comes alongside a strong quarterly performance. Accenture reported revenue of $18.04 billion for the quarter ended February, marking an increase of over 8% year-on-year and beating analyst estimates.
Earnings per share also rose to $2.93, compared with $2.82 a year earlier, while total bookings stood at $22.1 billion, reflecting sustained demand from enterprises investing in digital transformation.
The company said growth was driven by strong demand for services related to artificial intelligence and cloud migration, as businesses increasingly look to automate processes and modernise operations.
Accenture has been stepping up investments in AI capabilities, with plans to spend around $5 billion on acquisitions this year. It has also embedded AI into its internal systems, including performance evaluations, as it aligns its workforce with emerging technology priorities.
Looking ahead, the company raised the lower end of its full-year revenue growth forecast to 3%, while maintaining the upper end at 5%. However, it flagged a potential revenue impact in fiscal 2026 due to reduced federal spending, even as it expects growth to improve later in the year.
Overall, the results highlight a dual trend: a gradual return to hiring and continued financial resilience, driven by strong enterprise demand for AI-led transformation.