In recent weeks, we’ve explored how global firms like EY in Argentina and Deloitte in Brazil are building teams in Latin America – hiring in the region to increase operational efficiency and workforce flexibility.
This week, we turn to a different kind of case: KPMG’s presence in Mexico. Unlike EY or Deloitte, this is not a story of massive expansion. Instead, it reflects how a firm can thoughtfully structure part of its workforce outside the U.S. without scaling dramatically – and still see clear organizational benefits.
🧮 Mexico vs. U.S.: A Comparative View
KPMG employs approximately 1,300 professionals in Mexico. For this analysis, we examined a sample of 1,131 roles, excluding interns/trainees and executives, to focus solely on core delivery, technical, and leadership positions.
Using publicly available salary data from Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, and Comparably, we compared monthly compensation in Mexico vs. the U.S. for equivalent roles:
| Seniority | $ per Month (Mexico) | $ per Month (USA) | Headcount |
| Core junior delivery staff | $1,082,250 | $3,510,000 | 585 |
| Mid-level technical roles | $942,500 | $2,762,500 | 325 |
| Project/Team leads | $520,000 | $1,495,000 | 130 |
| Higher-level client leaders | $500,500 | $1,456,000 | 91 |
| Total | $3,045,250 | $9,223,500 | 1,131 |
💡 Result: An estimated 67% cost difference, with a consistent professional structure across both geographies.
🔍 Focused Hiring, Not Headcount Growth
While the absolute size of the team in Mexico is modest compared to other multinationals, this structure reflects strategic resource allocation – not just cost-cutting. KPMG appears to maintain a stable mix of junior, technical, and leadership talent in Mexico, ensuring delivery continuity without expanding headcount for its own sake.
Key observations:
- The model concentrates on junior and mid-level technical roles, where cost differentials are most pronounced.
- Leadership roles remain present, indicating an interest in local oversight and team continuity.
- Cost efficiency is real, but so is the underlying structure – this is not a hollow operation, but a working, distributed team.
🌎 A Regional Pattern with Nuanced Strategies
Across the past few weeks, we’ve seen different strategies play out:
- EY focused on Argentina to support high-volume delivery teams.
- Deloitte structured broad functional operations out of Brazil.
- KPMG chose a more targeted, role-specific approach in Mexico – not for scale, but for consistency and cost balance.
Each model reflects a different organizational need – but all share the idea that global hiring no longer means outsourcing in the traditional sense. It means making deliberate decisions about where and how teams are built.
📌 Final Thought
This case isn’t about transforming a headquarters. It’s about redefining how professional services can be delivered across borders – sustainably, efficiently, and without compromising structure.
As more firms evaluate where to locate specific roles, examples like KPMG’s Mexico team highlight an important option:
You don’t need to scale to benefit – you just need to rethink structure.
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