There's always going to be scandals, and there's not many available opportunities
When trust is breached at the highest levels of an industry, the question falls not only to regulators and shareholders, but to the next generation deciding where to place their ambitions. Australian university students, confronting a pattern of misconduct across the big four consulting firms, are discovering that ethical conviction and economic necessity rarely resolve themselves cleanly. In a tightening graduate market, the calculus of conscience is shaped as much by scarcity as by principle — and most are choosing to keep the door open.
- KPMG's admission that senior staff weaponised confidential client data follows PwC's 2023 government intelligence scandal, signalling systemic rot rather than isolated failure.
- Students feel the tension acutely — they want meaningful, ethical work, yet the big four remain among the few doors wide enough to walk through at the start of a career.
- Pragmatism is winning: with professional graduate employment down to 67.3% in 2025, students openly acknowledge that 'beggars can't be choosers' when offers are scarce.
- The emerging strategy is calibrated, not resigned — prefer a competitor if given the choice, but don't forfeit a rare opportunity over a scandal you didn't cause.
- Social researchers note this generation won't abandon purpose-driven values, but they carry student debt and housing ambitions that make idealism an expensive luxury.
In May, KPMG admitted that senior staff had taken confidential client information and used it to win new business — the latest in a pattern of industry misconduct that included PwC's misuse of government intelligence in 2023. When three Australian university students were asked whether the scandal had put them off consulting, their answers revealed something more nuanced than outright rejection.
Emma Halamkova, a second-year law and commerce student at UNSW, said she wouldn't remove KPMG from consideration entirely, but would choose a competitor if offered the same role elsewhere. She was more interested in how a company responds to wrongdoing than in treating a single scandal as the whole story. Damon Kim, a first-year commerce and economics student, heard about the scandal through a friend who had worked at KPMG and urged him to look elsewhere. His view of the firm had shifted — but his volunteer work with a nonprofit consulting group had shown him the field's better possibilities. He remained drawn to consulting, even if KPMG itself had lost some appeal.
Demographer Mark McCrindle offered a frame for this apparent contradiction: younger Australians genuinely care about purpose and ethics, but they are also acutely aware of student debt and the cost of entering the housing market. They expect to move between firms across a career, and a single scandal — even a serious one — won't necessarily close a door. Kim was more direct: opportunities at major firms are scarce, and work experience at a prestigious name still carries weight on a resume, legal troubles and all.
Riddhesh Mehta, a third-year commerce and information systems student, had read about the KPMG scandal but found it unsurprising given similar stories at other firms. He'd avoid KPMG if he had options, not wanting the association on his record. But he wouldn't abandon consulting over it. 'If it's what I enjoy, and I'm ethical and go into it with an open mind,' he said, 'it doesn't really hinder my decision.'
The employment data gives their pragmatism context. Full-time graduate employment sits at 75.4 percent nationally in 2025, below its 2023 peak, while the share of graduates landing professional or managerial roles has fallen to 67.3 percent — down from 72.3 percent a decade earlier. In a market that offers fewer footholds, the consulting industry's promise of meaningful work and institutional prestige remains compelling enough to outlast the reputational damage of scandal.
In May, KPMG admitted that senior staff had taken confidential information from corporate clients and used it to secure new business. It was the latest in a string of scandals that have rippled through the consulting industry—PwC had done something similar three years earlier, weaponizing government intelligence to help multinational clients dodge taxes. Yet when three Australian university students were asked whether this had soured them on consulting as a career, the answer was more complicated than a simple yes or no.
Emma Halamkova, a second-year student at UNSW studying law and commerce, said she wouldn't cross KPMG off her list entirely. But if she had to choose between KPMG and another firm offering the same role, she'd probably take the other one. "A lot of these things happen in the real world," she said. "It's not inevitable, but it does happen, and you can't look at one issue and say that makes up the whole company. It's more so about how they respond and move forward." The scandal hadn't fundamentally changed her view of consulting as a pathway to meaningful work, though she acknowledged that law remained an open door too.
Damon Kim, a first-year commerce and economics student, first learned about the KPMG scandal from a friend at church who had worked there. The friend sent him an article with a gentle warning to consider other industries. The message landed—Kim's perspective on consulting had shifted somewhat. But his volunteer work with 180 Degrees Consulting, a nonprofit that connects students with pro-bono consulting projects, had shown him the positive side of the field. He was still drawn to it, even if KPMG itself had become less appealing. Mark McCrindle, a demographer and social researcher, offered context for this apparent contradiction. Younger generations, he explained, genuinely cared about making a difference and finding work with purpose. But they were also pragmatic. They understood they'd move between firms over their careers. A single scandal, even a serious one, wouldn't necessarily disqualify a company from consideration. "They won't compromise on values like making a difference," McCrindle said, "but they're a generation well aware of the debt they take on when studying, the earnings required for buying a first home, and they still want to make sure they can get opportunities to enter pathways and find work with purpose and meaning."
Kim put it more bluntly. When applying for graduate roles and internships, he said, "there's a saying that beggars can't be choosers." Opportunities at the big four consulting firms were scarce. Scandals would keep happening. Work experience at a major firm, even one in legal trouble, still looked good on a resume. So while KPMG's recent problems might nudge him toward a competitor if he had the luxury of choice, he wasn't about to turn down an offer just because of them.
Riddhesh Mehta, a third-year commerce and information systems student, had read about the KPMG scandal a few weeks before being interviewed, but hadn't dug deep into the details. He'd seen similar stories about other big firms in recent years. It felt routine. If offered a choice between KPMG and another firm, he'd probably go elsewhere—he didn't want a scandal on his resume. But that calculation didn't extend to rejecting consulting altogether. "A scandal at the top definitely affects the people underneath," he said, "but obviously, there are bad things in every single workplace. At the end of the day, if it's what I enjoy, and I'm ethical and go into it with an open mind, it doesn't really hinder my decision to go into consulting."
The broader employment picture adds weight to their pragmatism. A national survey of 120,000 students across Australian universities found that full-time employment rates for domestic undergraduates had climbed slightly to 75.4 percent in 2025, but that figure still sat below the 79 percent peak reached in 2023. More telling was the decline in professional and managerial employment: the share of graduates landing such roles had fallen to 67.3 percent in 2025, down from 72.3 percent in 2016. In a tightening job market, students couldn't afford to be too choosy. The consulting industry's allure—the promise of meaningful work, decent pay, and a foothold in a prestigious firm—remained strong enough to outweigh the reputational damage of a single scandal, even a serious one.
Citações Notáveis
A lot of these things happen in the real world. It's not inevitable, but it does happen, and you can't look at one issue and say that makes up the whole company.— Emma Halamkova, UNSW second-year law and commerce student
There's a saying that beggars can't be choosers. There's not many available opportunities to go into these big four consulting firms, so although KPMG has had a scandal recently, having it as work experience as a student is still very helpful.— Damon Kim, UNSW first-year commerce and economics student
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why do you think these students aren't walking away from consulting entirely, even after KPMG's admission?
Because the alternative—no job, no entry point into a competitive field—feels worse. They're not naive about what happened. They just know the job market is tighter than it was a few years ago.
But doesn't a pattern worry them? KPMG, PwC before that—doesn't that suggest something systemic?
It does, and they notice it. But they also see it as inevitable. Mehta said it himself: "There's always going to be scandals." They've made peace with the idea that institutions are flawed.
So they're choosing pragmatism over principle?
Not quite. They're holding both at once. They want to do meaningful work and they want to eat. If KPMG offers and another firm offers, they'll take the other firm. But if KPMG is the only offer? They'll take it.
What does that tell us about how power works in hiring?
That students know they have almost none. The firms know it too. A scandal might sting the brand, but it doesn't change the scarcity of entry-level positions. The students will come anyway.
Is there any sign this could shift?
Only if employment tightens further or if the scandals become so frequent that the field itself loses credibility. Right now, consulting still promises something students desperately want: a path forward.