EY has reported £3.86bn in UK fee income for the financial year ended 3 July 2026, representing growth of 2%, as demand for AI and data projects increased sharply across its client base. Sales of such projects rose 46% year on year, according to the professional services firm. That rate describes a particular category of project sales, not the growth of the entire UK operation or a measured improvement in client productivity.
The results arrive at a time when professional services businesses are balancing technological investment against clients’ pressure to control advisory spending. Growth in AI-related work suggests organisations are allocating budgets to data infrastructure, automation and changing operational processes. Clients commissioning these assignments are investing in data, technology and changes to business processes, while overall spending on other consulting work remains more subdued.
EY also disclosed the scale of its own workforce development. It recruited 2,300 people in the UK during the year, recorded more than 3,700 internal promotions and progressions, and reported 1.2 million hours of learning and development. The company made Microsoft 365 Copilot available to its UK employees. Availability is not the same as adoption, and the annual report does not provide an independently verified productivity gain from that decision.
The firm increased the total value of employee bonuses by more than 25%, describing the latest amount as its largest variable pay pool. Payments reflect remuneration decisions taken across the business, not necessarily a uniform increase for each employee. Professional services models depend on attracting and retaining specialist staff, particularly where technology programmes require knowledge of both a client’s operational processes and technical systems.
Average distributable profit per partner increased to approximately £870,000, according to EY’s reported figures. Partnership economics should not be conflated with total firm profitability or employee salaries. The amount distributed per partner reflects the allocation of profit within a specific organisational structure, while the firm’s overall performance depends on fees earned, staffing, investment and operating costs.
Demand remains uneven across advisory lines. EY said consulting revenue declined by 3%, despite the rise in sales of AI and data projects. These figures can coexist because the businesses measure different activities and operate against different prior-year comparisons. A focus on the fastest-growing product area would obscure more cautious client spending in other services, while treating the consulting decline as evidence of universal technology weakness would be equally misleading.
AI transformation contracts are often larger than the software licences customers eventually buy. A company may need to evaluate information security, cleanse historic data, adjust permissions and retrain staff before introducing automated workflows. Consultancy fees can therefore be associated with a long implementation process rather than a single installed application. The commercial benefit to customers depends partly on whether those projects alter everyday work and avoid creating new dependencies or compliance risks.
Professional services firms also face a challenge of their own: tools that automate research, document preparation and data analysis may alter the hours needed to deliver some client work. The opportunity to sell new transformation projects sits alongside pressure to adapt staffing models and pricing. Firms that have traditionally billed heavily for expert time must demonstrate continuing value through judgement, accountability and measurable outcomes as routine processes become easier to automate.
EY recruited 2,300 people and recorded more than 3,700 internal promotions and progressions in the UK during the year. It also reported 1.2 million hours of learning and development. Those investments accompany the growing demand for specialist AI and data assignments, alongside continued pressure on other advisory services and the firm’s efforts to develop new capabilities across its workforce.
EY’s £3.86bn UK fee income grew by 2% in its financial year, against a 46% increase in sales of AI and data-related projects. Consulting revenue nevertheless fell 3%, reflecting uneven conditions across its services. Partner profit distributions, investment in employee development and demand for technology-led assignments are now moving on different trajectories within the UK practice.
You must be logged in to post a comment.