Marco Amitrano, European boss of PwC, joins the Big Boss Interview to discuss the UK economy, artificial intelligence, business confidence and the case for loosening the government’s fiscal rules to unlock infrastructure investment.

Amitrano makes a direct appeal to Chancellor Rachel Reeves to reconsider the government’s borrowing limits, arguing that strict fiscal rules risk preventing the investment needed for long-term economic growth. He says the UK faces what has been described to him as a £2 trillion infrastructure gap, spanning transport, digital networks and the energy grid. Relaxing borrowing restrictions, he argues, could allow government to invest alongside business in the technology, talent and infrastructure needed to make the UK globally competitive. Amitrano acknowledges that markets may initially react with higher borrowing costs, but says a transparent plan showing how spending would drive growth could reassure bond investors.

Artificial intelligence is already reshaping the professional services sector, with Amitrano revealing that more than 80% of chief executives globally are making material investments in AI, and around 60% now see it as critical to their organisation’s survival. He discusses how the technology is transforming how businesses operate, while pushing back against claims that AI is already replacing large numbers of graduate jobs. PwC recently reduced its graduate intake from around 1,500 to 1,300, but Amitrano says that decision was driven by a slowdown in demand following the November 2024 Budget, not automation. The firm still receives roughly 400,000 applications each year and uses AI only in the early stages of screening before human interviews.

Before the recent escalation in the Middle East, Amitrano says business confidence had been showing signs of recovery. Falling finance costs, strong corporate balance sheets and wage inflation running ahead of cost inflation had created conditions for what he describes as potential economic “lift-off”. However, geopolitical tensions have reintroduced uncertainty, particularly around energy prices, where the UK remains the most expensive country in Europe for energy.

He also reflects on the impact of the November 2024 Budget, which he describes as a miscalculation that combined several policies — workers’ rights reforms, minimum wage increases and higher employer National Insurance contributions — in a way that made hiring feel riskier for businesses. Amitrano says that damaged the relationship between government and business, although dialogue has begun to improve through initiatives such as Keep Britain Working, which aims to bring economically inactive people back into the labour market.

Presenter: Simon Jack

02:32 AI transformation imperative for business survival