Talent Signals: Hiring Trends in Consulting and Private Equity (Sept 2025)

Hiring Signals for Strategy and Investment Professionals

This month’s brief summarizes percentage-based hiring signals from Management Consulting and the Top 100 Private Equity firms, using August 2025 data. Unless noted, changes reference month-over-month (MoM) or variance vs. trailing three-month averages. For this analysis, we'll focus on the rate-of-change, role mix, and rank order.

Start using Aura’s workforce intelligence to track hiring surges, role demand, and competitive trends before the market shifts: request a demo.

Hiring Signals at a Glance

• Cadence: Consulting job postings rose in April–May, fell in June, partially rebounded in July, and declined again in August; PE showed sharp surges in April and July followed by an August pullback (still above 5-year norms).

• Firm acceleration: While the majority in both categories showed declines in job postings for the month, top consulting gainers ranged up to +38% vs. their 3-month averages; top PE gainers rose up +157%.

• Roles: Strategy ranks near the top in both segments; technical roles are consistently prominent (InfoSec/Tech Lead in consulting; Web/Software/Data in PE).

Management Consulting Hiring Trends

Posting cadence

• April–May up; June down; July partial recovery; August down versus both last year and the five-year average, and down in relation to the S&P500.

Firm momentum (vs. trailing 3-month average)

• EY-Parthenon +38%, Charles River Associates +29%, Alvarez & Marsal +15%, Huron +11%.

• Most large brands posted declines vs. their recent averages (e.g., McKinsey, Booz Allen Hamilton, Guidehouse, BCG).

Role mix (ranked by demand)

1. Corporate Strategy; 2) Technology Lead; 3) Information Security; 4) Project Manager; 5) Investment Specialist. 

Geography (vs. trailing 3-month average)

• Hawaii +50%, Kentucky +13%; most large states declined against recent averages. 

Private Equity Hiring Trends

Posting cadence

• April and July surges, followed by an August moderation; current-year levels remain above the 5-year average, and, as consulting, trails the S&P500 job postings trends on average. 

Company momentum

• MoM increases: Neuberger Berman +125%, Oaktree +90%, Hamilton Lane +43%, Bain Capital +23%, KKR +7%; Advent 0%.

• MoM declines: TCMI –82%, Thrive –76%, General Catalyst –46%, Apollo –57%, Carlyle –28%, Ares –28%.

• Vs. trailing 3-month average (top accelerators): Leonard Green +157%, Hamilton Lane +76%, Oaktree +54%, Neuberger Berman +37%, Iconiq +2%. 

Role mix (ranked by demand)

1. Customer Success Specialist; 2) Web Developer; 3) Investment Specialist; 4) Corporate Strategy; 5) Software Engineer; followed by UX Designer, Test Engineer, Technology Lead, Brand Manager, Data Scientist.

   

2. Geography (Top states with growth compared to their trailing 3-month average)

• Oklahoma +125%, Nevada +44%, Arizona +12%, New Jersey +11%, Tennessee +2%. 

Cross-Segment Insights: Strategy, Tech, and Geography

1) Strategy stays elevated

• Corporate Strategy sits at or near the top five roles in both consulting and PE, indicating sustained demand for strategy talent even as overall posting levels fluctuate. This is a useful signal for staffing pipelines and candidate outreach prioritization.

2) Technical hiring remains high, but varies by segment

• Consulting skews to Technology Lead/Information Security among top roles; PE skews to Web/Software/Data along with client-retention roles. Align sourcing channels accordingly (security/architecture communities vs. full-stack and data talent pools).

3) Track the accelerators, not just the leaders

• In consulting, the steepest growth is concentrated in a small set of firms (+11% to +38% vs. 3-mo averages). In PE, the acceleration range is wider (+37% to +157%), suggesting more pronounced bursts. For business development or candidate placement, the rate of change can be a better near-term signal than total volume.

4) Watch the non-obvious geographies

• Consulting: Hawaii and Kentucky posted the only gains vs. recent averages.

• PE: Oklahoma, Nevada, Arizona, New Jersey, Tennessee showed the strongest percentage upticks, albeit at very low volumes. Use these pockets for targeted outreach and regional testing.

Practitioner Playbook: Data-Driven Hiring Actions

• Consulting leaders & recruiters

  • Prioritize Corporate Strategy, Tech Lead, InfoSec requisitions in near-term campaigns; these roles rank highest by demand share.

  • Track firms with positive 3-mo growth (EY-Parthenon, CRA, A&M, Huron) for competitive hiring moves and partnership conversations.

  • Test outreach in HI and KY where growth rates are positive against recent baselines.

• PE talent & portfolio ops

  • Weight sourcing toward Customer Success, Web/Software, and Investment Specialist roles; these rank highest by demand share.

  • Use MoM change to time outreach: e.g., Neuberger Berman (+125%) and Oaktree (+90%) vs. firms with steep pullbacks.

  • Pilot geographic campaigns in OK, NV, AZ, NJ, TN where growth vs. recent averages is positive.

Turning Hiring Signals into Competitive Advantage

Even in a cooling job market, the firms and roles accelerating today signal where tomorrow’s opportunities will be. By focusing on percentage change, role mix, and geographic outliers, leaders can better align sourcing strategies, business development, and workforce planning.

Want to turn these signals into a competitive edge?

Aura’s workforce intelligence platform lets you track hiring surges, role demand, and competitor moves in real time across 20M+ companies. Book a demo today to see how you can stay ahead of shifts in consulting and private equity talent demand, as well as in many other industries.