Short answer: people leave EY India mainly because of heavy workloads and burnout, frustrations with pay or promotion speed, better opportunities elsewhere (startups/tech/industry), concerns about workplace culture/manager support, and occasional business restructurings or layoffs. Below are the typical reasons with brief evidence and context.

Common reasons people quit EY India

• Long hours / workload and burnout — audit and advisory cycles, client demands and weekend/night work are frequently mentioned; a high-profile employee death and subsequent labour probe made overwork a public issue. (reuters.com)
• Workplace culture and manager support — employee-review sites and news coverage show mixed ratings for culture and recurring complaints about stress, manager behaviour and a competitive environment. Experiences vary by team, but these are common push factors. (www2.glassdoor.co.in)
• Compensation and rewards vs. market — while EY publishes sector-wide salary guidance and many roles pay reasonably, some employees say increments/benchmarks lag alternatives (tech, product, unicorns) and niche AI/tech skills command higher premiums elsewhere. (ey.com)
• Career progression and role fit — people leave if they see limited promotion speed, want faster technical skill-building, or prefer different career paths (product, FAANG, startups, industry roles). Professional-services attrition historically runs higher than some sectors. (ey.com)
• Business cycles, restructuring and job security — slow demand, cost measures or global headcount adjustments can cause layoffs or voluntary exits during transitions. EY globally has reported workforce adjustments tied to demand. (ft.com)
• Policy/HR incidents or reputational issues — isolated incidents (discipline, strict learning/enforcement policies, public controversies) can push people to leave or raise concern among employees. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

A few important caveats

• Experience is inconsistent: many people report good learning, exposure and career launch opportunities at EY; others report poor work–life balance. Team, service line (assurance, tax, consulting), manager and client matter a lot. (ambitionbox.com)
• Trends shift over time: EY’s own reports show attrition in India has been moving down from some peak years and that employers are focusing more on pay, wellbeing and AI-driven rewards — so the balance of reasons can change. (ey.com)

If you’re deciding whether to leave (or hire/retain people)

• For employees: weigh pay, promotions, mental/physical health, type of work, manager support, and external market demand for your skills. Keep records of expectations and speak with HR/mentor if you want to try resolving problems before leaving. (www2.glassdoor.co.in)
• For managers/HR: address predictable pain points — workload planning, clearer promotion paths, competitive pay for scarce skills, manager training, and wellbeing support — these reduce voluntary exits. (ey.com)

If you want, I can:

• Summarize employee-review trends for a particular EY India city or service line (audit, tax, consulting).
• Draft a resignation checklist or a retention plan for managers tailored to EY-like professional-services firms.

Which of those would be most useful?