- Robust recovery in the short-term to see UK economy return to pre-Covid level by Q1 2022, with GDP growth of 6.6% forecast for 2021 and 5.4% for 2022.
- Despite interest rates remaining low in the short term, the withdrawal of government support schemes could coincide with a significant uptick in the number of company insolvencies.
- Recovery is unlikely to be even across the UK with strongest growth expected in the West Midlands, London, and the East of England.

The adoption of video-calling technologies mushroomed during the COVID restrictions. As illustrated in BBC WORKLIFE, they enabled virtual contact and helped people feel less isolated. Many who had not previously used FaceTime or Zoom turned to their iPads or PCs to connect with family and friends in a more engaging way than by phone.

The Retail programme, now in its 5th year, is delivered in collaboration with GrowthBuilders and brings together established Retail and Consumer industry leaders and high-growth technology scale-up disruptors to work more closely and drive innovation in the market.

Staff are returning to the office and it looks like hybrid working is the new normal...

More than three-quarters of companies plan to upskill/reskill up to 25% of their workforce in the next three years...

BCG Finds That Funding for the New Innovative Field Has Grown from $15 Billion to $60 Billion in Four Years and Could Exceed $200 Billion by 2025 If a New Investor Model Emerges...

Key findings
Permanent placement growth hits highest since October 1997
Demand for staff improves to greatest extent in 23 years
Marked drop in candidate availability places upward pressure on pay Data collected April 12-26...

PA Consulting’s utilities expert, Marc Tritschler, discusses how utility companies can develop a customer-centric culture by leveraging data more effectively.

When it comes to data, does your investment in people match your investment in technology? Keith Joughin and Nigel Robinson of PA Consulting examine the issues.

Accenture has been named a leader in commerce services in “The Forrester Wave™: Commerce Services, Q1 2021”, where Accenture scored higher than any other vendor in the Commerce Strategy Services criterion.

By Srinath Rengarajan of Oliver Wyman Across all major automotive markets globally, we are witnessing a transformative shift to electric mobility. Even during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, while vehicle sales have dropped significantly in many of these markets, the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) have bucked the trend in 2020.

KPMG has launched its annual search for the UK’s top tech innovator which has seen previous winners such as Echo and What3Words go on to become household names.

Boston Consulting Group Receives Recognition in AI Services from Analyst Firm in New Report on Providers of AI Digital Transformation Services...

- Remote working poses new data security risks, with global CEOs naming cyber security as the top concern impacting their growth and operations over a three-year period.
- Survey finds a steep decline in the appetite of global executives to downsize their company’s physical footprint as global CEOs reconsider the need for in-person business to resume when countries emerge from the pandemic.

Rachel Hugo joins PA Consulting (PA), the consultancy that’s bringing ingenuity to life, to lead and grow PA’s activities in aerospace, industrials and manufacturing around the world.

- 91% of UK CEOs are concerned about cyber threats, up from 80% last year
- As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, 67% of UK CEOs plan to increase long-term investment in cybersecurity and data privacy over the next three years
- 48% of UK CEOs are ‘extremely concerned’ (up from 42% last year) about the risk of cyber threats to their business growth prospects...

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has acquired REPL Group (“REPL”), a U.K.-based technology consultancy specializing in solutions for supply chain, workforce management, store operations and retail customer experiences. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

· Number of entries increases by 46% compared to 2020 with large, small and medium sized firms all supporting the industry’s key awards event
· Most popular categories are individual categories including Young Consultant of the Year, Rising Star and Team Leader Consultant of the Year
· New categories include exceptional support and delivery during COVID-19 to both a client and by an individual consultant ...

For the third year running, Mason Advisory has been named as one of the UK’s Leading Management Consultancies in three categories, in Financial Times’ special report today (18th February).

According to the, Accenture Technology Vision 2021, technology was a lifeline during the global pandemic – enabling new ways of working and doing business, creating new interactions and experiences, and improving health and safety.

PA Consulting’s head of cybersecurity, Elliot Rose, discusses the SolarWinds breach and how organisations must tighten their security to avoid software supply chain attacks.

Jeremy Klingel, energy and utilities expert at PA Consulting, discusses bitcoin power consumption requirements and ensuring there are clean and efficient energy sources available during peak periods.

Inframation News discusses how PA Consulting is growing its infrastructure team with three hires to target new sectors.

Ross Smith, US utility practice lead at PA Consulting, and Andy McKenna, energy and utilities expert at PA Consulting, discuss Andy’s return to PA.

Only by working together can governments, scientists, businesses, and the public unleash the power of biology for good while effectively managing the risks, write Matthias Evers and Michael Chui in Project Syndicate.

Deloitte is donating 5,000 of its laptops to UK schools, charities and families. The pledge, announced by Richard Houston, senior partner and chief executive at Deloitte North and South Europe, is in response to the growing digital skills gap and the COVID-19 pandemic.

European companies that accelerate both their digital and sustainability transitions are likely to recover faster and emerge stronger from the COVID-19 crisis, according to a new report from Accenture.

- Market to recover quickly – with forecasted growth of 7% in 2021
- Strong demand for compliance with regulation work to continue
- Fee rates set to fall – say over 60% of tax advisory clients...

- CFOs’ optimism rises to a 12-year high, according to latest Deloitte survey...

2021 UK & Global economic outlook: lowest number of births in the UK since records began predicted; first decline in London's population this century: global & UK turning point in the fight against climate change.

Honored with ‘Supplier of the Year’ and ‘Outstanding Technology Provider’ Awards...

London’s IPO market proves resilient in 2020 despite COVID-19 and Brexit-related uncertainties, with the pipeline looking strong in 2021...

Generali Group and Accenture have created a joint venture — Group Operations Service Platform (GOSP) — that will leverage cloud technologies and shared technology platforms to accelerate the insurance group’s innovation and digital strategy.

- This year 295 secondary offerings raised £38 billion to 4 December 2020 versus £22 billion in 2019;
- There were 212 secondary offerings for the same period (1 Jan 2019 – 4 Dec 2019)..

Our firm is excited to announce that McKinsey was recently named a Leader, the highest category ranking we can receive, in The Forrester Wave™: Digital Business Transformation Services, Q4 2020.

- Within the TMT sector, the high-tech industry is growing fastest,
- with consulting revenues expected to rise 11%
- Greater regulatory scrutiny is driving consulting demand
- The wider TMT consulting market is forecast to grow 2% in 2020 to just over US$14bn
- However, fee rates are coming under increasing pressure, with clients seeking “COVID discounts”...

With lockdown lifted in England and the UK returning to tiered restrictions, most non-essential retailers have reopened their doors in time for critical Christmas trading. Despite the prospect of a scaled back festive period, new analysis from PwC shows UK shoppers are still preparing to spend £384 each on Christmas presents and celebrations.

Accenture announced that its Board of Directors has nominated Beth E. Mooney for election to the Board at Accenture’s annual general meeting of shareholders on Feb. 3, 2021. Ms. Mooney, 65, was chairman and CEO of KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY), one of the 20 largest U.S. banks, based on assets, for nine years prior to her retirement in May 2020. She will be listed as a director nominee in Accenture’s 2020 proxy statement, which is scheduled to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission next week.

PA has announced that Jacobs, the global technical and professional services leader, has signed an agreement to invest in PA for a 65% shareholding in the company. The transaction, which values PA at £1.825 billion and is expected to close by the end of calendar Q1 2021 subject to regulatory approvals and shareholder consent, sees current shareholder The Carlyle Group exit its stake in PA.

Inversis, a reference company in Spain that provides outsourcing and technology solutions for investment services for global financial institutions, and Accenture (NYSE: ACN), a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security, have reached an agreement to develop an outsourcing solution to help financial institutions across Europe manage their financial asset distribution processes. Accenture will transform Inversis’ technology platform in the initial phase of the agreement.

Two thirds (68%) of business leaders used automation to respond to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research from Deloitte on robotic and intelligent automation.

-UK public servants see biggest shift to remote working compared to European counterparts, and over half now want to continue working from home post Covid-19
-A third (37%) of UK public servants say their IT hindered their ability to respond to the crisis
-58% say that a remote delivery model can maintain or improve quality of service -Modern/faster computers, improved applications and better infrastructure cited for upgrades...

Deloitte’s Manchester practice confirmed today that it has signed a deal with WeWork to occupy 35,000 sq ft of office space in Manchester city centre.

Accenture has launched a new immersive engagement and investment program targeting emerging technology software startups to help fill strategic innovation gaps for the Global 2000. Called Project Spotlight, the exclusive Accenture Ventures program represents a new approach to engaging with the global software startup community.

- Twice as many under-35s want permanent flexible working post-pandemic, compared to over-55s;
- Almost half of over-55s have returned to offices in some capacity, compared to a third of under-35s;
- Whilst half of all office-based workers had never worked from home before COVID-19, three-quarters want regular remote working patterns in future;
Office return policies reveal polarisation, with most employees either already back or not expecting to return until 2021 or later.

Launches “Let there be change” Campaign and New Company Purpose, Created with Droga5.

Amid the Disruption and Uncertainty, Dealmakers Increasingly See Alternative Deals—such as Joint Ventures, Strategic Alliances, and Corporate Venturing—as Effective Ways to Access New Capabilities and Reduce Risk.

Roz Lawson joins PA Consulting (PA), the consultancy that’s bringing ingenuity to life, as a partner. She will help lead the build-out of PA’s end-to-end commercial offering for leading Life Sciences clients.

Building a more inclusive economy and closing the racial wealth gap will require getting many more Black professionals into fields like investment.

Commenting on the latest labour market figures from the ONS, Debapratim De, senior economist at Deloitte, said: “The furlough scheme has been very effective in cushioning the blow from the pandemic to the labour market. But cracks are beginning to show, with unemployment rising – particularly among younger workers - and redundancies hitting their highest level in almost eight years. “Although growth has bounced back in the third quarter, the recovery is likely to be slow and uneven, with a sharp rise in unemployment almost unavoidable once the furlough scheme ends.” To view more market comments from Deloitte please CLICK HERE..