IBM, Accenture show diverging hiring trends amid IT sector recovery

Employee growth data shows Accenture ramping up hiring since 2024 while IBM lags behind after sharp headcount cut in late 2023

Fresh data from LinkedIn signals a growing divergence in hiring patterns among top IT services firms, with Accenture accelerating employee additions in 2025, while IBM continues to recover from a sharp workforce contraction recorded late last year, according to data put together by research analysis firm Thurro.

 

According to monthly employee growth estimates based on LinkedIn data, Accenture’s headcount jumped 11.86 per cent in May 2025, its highest monthly surge in over a year. In comparison, IBM’s employee base grew by 8.91 per cent in the same month, marking a sharp rebound but still trailing behind its peer.

 

The contrast is especially stark when considering the timeline of their respective growth trajectories. In November 2023, IBM reported a steep 27.45 per cent decline in employee count, its largest drop in at least two years, coinciding with reported global restructuring and exits across business units.

 

Since that contraction, IBM’s employee growth has remained in positive territory, albeit modestly, with increases ranging between 1.29 per cent and 5.86 per cent until March 2025. However, even with the 8.91 per cent jump in May 2025, IBM’s gains are still being measured against the deep cut it made seven months earlier.

 

Meanwhile, Accenture began consistently adding to its headcount from March 2024 onwards, with 6.04 per cent growth that month, followed by 6.90 per cent in May, and continuing with high single-digit to low double-digit monthly gains thereafter. Its lowest recorded monthly increase in this stretch was 5.21 per cent (May 2024), and the highest, apart from May 2025, was 10.78 per cent in November 2024.

 

This steady upward trend points to renewed demand across Accenture’s digital, cloud, and managed services portfolios, especially in North America and Europe. Industry watchers say the company’s diversified client base in healthcare, finance, and public sector contracts has likely shielded it from demand fluctuations affecting more traditional IT services.

 

In contrast, IBM’s headcount trajectory suggests a more cautious approach to hiring, possibly tied to its reorganisation efforts and emphasis on high-margin AI and consulting segments post its Kyndryl spin-off. The tech major’s positive growth figures since January 2024 indicate a slow but deliberate recovery, but analysts note that it has yet to fully recoup its November 2023 downsizing.

 

The diverging numbers also underscore broader shifts in the IT sector, where project-based hiring and AI-based automation are redefining traditional growth patterns. With global clients tightening tech budgets and reorienting priorities post-pandemic, Indian and multinational IT firms are no longer adding headcount at the same pace or in the same geographies.

 

As of May 2025, Accenture’s consistent hiring puts it ahead in terms of employee growth momentum, while IBM continues to dig out of last year’s slump.

 

Whether this gap continues to widen or narrows will depend on enterprise tech spending trends and the pace of AI adoption across sectors, two metrics both companies are closely watching.