PwC’s German business increased revenue by 4.2% to €3.4 billion in the 2025/2026 financial year, as the group’s new country chief, Marc Billeb, described artificial intelligence as a major opportunity for the profession. The international network reported global revenue of more than $60 billion, up 3.5% after adjusting for currency movements.

In Germany, audit revenue rose by almost 9% to €987 million, while tax and legal services grew 6.3% to €731 million. Consulting, the company’s largest business area, increased by 1.5% to €1.6 billion.

Billeb, who has been in the role for 125 days, said businesses were holding back investment amid uncertainty and seeking guidance as technological changes push them to rethink their business models. PwC has seen slightly fewer consulting assignments, but projects are becoming larger. Demand for sustainability work has also softened, which the company linked to the EU’s effort to simplify sustainability requirements and reduced public interest. PwC nevertheless continues to regard sustainability reporting as an opportunity and an important area of work.

AI is transforming labor-intensive, knowledge-based sectors such as auditing and consulting, Billeb said. He expects interpersonal skills and leadership to become more important as routine work is increasingly handled by digital tools. The challenge, he added, is to use AI responsibly while making its productivity benefits count.

PwC Germany is investing €200 million in AI technology, training and development. Across the global network, planned investment totals $3 billion. The company says AI has moved beyond experimentation, making it important to monitor both the technology’s costs and how it is used. Some AI applications have proved unexpectedly expensive, while tools built by PwC employees are routinely checked for their autonomy and access to data. The firm is also seeking to assign technology costs to individual projects so they can be reflected in client fees.

Billeb said PwC would continue hiring young people and modernize its training. The company hired 2,153 people in Germany during the year, around 15% fewer than the year before. Its workforce grew by more than 2% to 15,885, helped by lower employee turnover. Billeb expects staffing growth to be less pronounced than it was ten or twenty years ago, but said technology has made the job more interesting than when he began his career.

Sources: FAZ.