Accenture in Top Position in Worldwide Human Resources Outsourcing Market

NEW YORK; Dec. 19, 2006 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) is positioned as the worldwide leader in human resources business process outsourcing (HR BPO) services, according to the IDC Leadership Grid: Worldwide HRO Market report released last month.*

IDC described Accenture as positioned ahead of all competitors in the “ability to gain share” due to its competitive strengths. A prime example is Accenture’s contract with Unilever, signed in June 2006, which “is judged to be the largest contract for HR BPO services to date, given the number of employees and the geographic scope required,” according to IDC.

“Overall, based on global reach, momentum, market awareness, employees served, and transformational capabilities, Accenture has emerged atop the leader board,” said Lisa Rowan, IDC’s program manager for HR and talent services.

The study examined the HR outsourcing market and leading service providers based on several key factors including:

· Solid client references

· Deep domain expertise

· Global reach and delivery capability

· The ability to transform the HR function, then transition services

· Standardization of services

· Talent management

IDC said HR BPO is the faster-growing segment of HR services and forecasted that the market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 16 percent from 2005 to 2010 to reach $18.9 billion in the U.S. and $26.5 billion worldwide.

“The HR BPO market is growing fast and Accenture has firmly established its leadership position during the last 12 months as evidenced by IDC’s report,” said Christian Marchetti, global managing director of Accenture HR Services. “The market opportunity is tremendous and we plan to build upon our leadership by delivering innovative, differentiated, value-driven solutions, reinforcing our commitment to help our clients become high-performing businesses.”

About Accenture Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Committed to delivering innovation, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. With deep industry and business process expertise, broad global resources and a proven track record, Accenture can mobilize the right people, skills and technologies to help clients improve their performance. With approximately 140,000 people in 48 countries, the company generated revenues of US$16.65 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2006. Its homepage is www.accenture.com.
* IDC, Worldwide and U.S. HR BPO 2006 Vendor Analysis: The Answer Is in the Margin, Doc #204137, Nov. 2006.

Jim Finlaw

+1 (917) 452 3249

james.e.finlaw@accenture.com