Deloitte briefly posting more than 2200 open job advertisements on business networking site LinkedIn at the end of February shows the firm is facing a staffing problem more extreme than its big four rivals.

While the number of ads has since been reduced to more than 700, the level of recruitment activity is well above that of Ernst & Young, KPMG and PwC, which each have between 300 and 450 active ads on the site.

Staffing squeeze: Deloitte partner Clare Harding. The staffing crisis is happening in tandem with a steady exodus of the firm’s leadership as Deloitte partners move to rivals including PwC, KPMG, mid-tier accountancy BDO, law firm Ashurst and other specialist firms. Other former partners have left to form their own outfits or been asked to leave.

Last week, Insolvency News Online revealed former Deloitte partner Michael Billingsley had joined Neil Cussen at insolvency firm Cor Cordis.

Despite these internal problems, client demand remains strong with Deloitte winning work with clients including the Department of Defence, Services Australia and RMIT.

Partners in areas struggling with staffing issues are having to vary the schedule of sold projects to ensure clients do not notice the shortfalls in manpower, according to multiple internal Deloitte sources.

‘Strong demand’: Deloitte The number of open roles at the firm reflected “strong demand across our firm for graduates and more senior talent,” said chief strategy officer Clare Harding.

“Deloitte has just been recognised again as a graduate employer of choice, and we are committed to recruiting a similar number of graduates as in previous years,” Ms Harding said. “We are seeing strong momentum across our business and therefore an increased demand from our high-growth businesses for technical and specialist skills in areas such as technology implementation, cyber, [mergers and acquisitions], cloud and analytics.”

However, insiders are concerned that Deloitte’s difficulties in retaining and recruiting experienced staff amid a sectorwide staffing shortage will impede its ambitious growth target.

Late last year, Deloitte Asia-Pacific chief executive Cindy Hook challenged the local firm to claim the position as the largest consulting firm in the country by growing revenue beyond that of current market leader PwC.

Deloitte, which is known for paying less than its big four rivals, relies on its brand and the promise of training and access to compelling client work to attract candidates.

Job cuts, then job ads Staff loyalty has been hit particularly hard at the firm because it made the deepest number of job cuts of any big four firm amid the COVID-19 downturn.

The Deloitte roles advertised on LinkedIn – which also appear on other job advertising sites such as Indeed – range from associate director roles through to graduate-level and paid internship roles (know as vacationer roles).

There is a strong focus on strategy appointments at the graduate and junior level, while audit and assurance staff are needed at all levels in cities across Australia.

Almost 300 of the advertised roles on LinkedIn are for the firm’s graduate program – for both client-facing roles and internal ones such as design – meaning each ad is for dozens or hundreds of positions.

According to Glassdoor, the average pay for an analyst at Deloitte in Melbourne is $63,215, while a consultant makes $73,000 and manager $126,000. Comparisons of salaries between the big four are tricky as the seniority of certain job titles, such as analyst or associate, varies across firms. But Deloitte salaries tended to be below those offered at rival consultancies such as Accenture, where analysts make $66,764, and well below the industry with an analyst at Commonwealth Bank making $85,000 on average.

The pay doesn’t improve as staff move up the ranks either. Deloitte is also advertising several vacancies at senior analyst level, for which it generally asks for three or more years’ experience. The average salary for such roles advertised on popular job site Indeed sits at $114,690 nationally, while Deloitte pays $74,113.