Management Consulting Job Market 2025: Mid-Sized Firms Take the Lead

Key Trends in the Management Consulting Industry: July 2025

The latest data on management consulting job postings shows a disciplined recovery in hiring, with growth concentrated in specific firms, functions, and regions. While total postings increased by ~60% over the past six months compared to the same period last year, the trend appears to reflect targeted investment rather than a broad-based acceleration. It's characterized by precision hiring, or what Aura's CEO likes to call "purposeful hiring."

Consulting firms are adding headcount selectively, particularly in implementation-oriented roles and digital transformation functions. Meanwhile, mid-sized firms outpaced traditional leaders, with firms like Guidehouse and Slalom posting more jobs than McKinsey or BCG in June.

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Hiring Trends Over Time: A Disciplined Rebound

Total management consulting job postings rose from ~20,000 in H1 2024 to ~33,000 in H1 2025: a 60% year-over-year increase. Yet, month-to-month momentum remained modest:

• Postings grew just 2% from January to June 2025.

• Volume peaked at ~6,000 jobs in May, before tapering slightly in June.

• By contrast, S&P 500 companies increased hiring at a much faster rate across the same period.

This divergence suggests that while broader market confidence is rebounding, consulting firms are scaling in a more controlled or cautious manner.

Company-Level Trends: Specialized Firms Drive Hiring

The June data reflects a reshuffling of hiring leaders:

Top 10 Firms by Total Job Postings (June 2025)

• Guidehouse: 1,210

• Slalom: 1,201

• BCG: 461

• Alvarez & Marsal: 453

• McKinsey: 357

• Huron: 241

• Mercer: 237

• FTI: 200

• ZS: 158

• Booz Allen: 141

Guidehouse and Slalom,  both representing mid-sized firms,  posted more jobs than any of the MBB firms. This could reflect strength in public sector, healthcare, and digital delivery, rather than demand for pure business strategy.

Additionally, several firms saw pronounced hiring spikes relative to their three-month averages:

Top Roles in Demand: Execution and Digital Transformation

Top roles posted in June point to a clear shift toward operational execution and tech infrastructure:

• Technology Lead (426)

• Corporate Strategy (370)

• Information Security (244)

• Data Scientist (165)

• Transformation Specialist (161)

• Compliance (138)

Hiring reflects client needs in systems integration, risk management, and transformation delivery,  especially in regulated or high-change industries.

Executive Hiring: Limited but Strategic

Senior-level hiring remained limited. Mercer, Slalom, and Guidehouse each posted 4–5 executive roles in June, primarily tied to functions like M&A, advisory, and sales leadership.

Charles River Associates and Analysis Group posted one role each at the C-suite or partner level.

This low volume is consistent with a capability-building strategy: adding leadership in targeted areas, rather than scaling up senior ranks broadly.

Geographic Trends: Growth Beyond Traditional Hubs

State-level analysis shows both stability in top markets and meaningful growth outside traditional hubs:

Top States by Job Posting Volume (June 2025):

• California: 607

• New York: 606

• Illinois: 589

• Massachusetts: 517

• Texas: 450

Highest % Growth vs. 3-Month Avg:

• Massachusetts: +28%

• Illinois: +25%

• Alabama: +22%

• Washington: +17%

• Virginia: +14%

Illinois overtaking Texas is notable, potentially reflecting increased activity in Chicago’s consulting ecosystem. Growth in Alabama and Virginia may indicate a shift toward cost optimization and increased demand in public sector or manufacturing-focused regions.

A Measured Shift in the Consulting Landscape

The July 2025 job market data for management consulting demonstrates a shift toward:

• Execution-heavy hiring (tech, compliance, delivery roles)

• Strength from mid-sized firms (Guidehouse, Slalom, CRA)

• Regional rebalancing (especially Illinois, Massachusetts, and Alabama)

• Flat executive hiring: signaling selective leadership investments

This is not a return to pre-2022 hiring volumes, but rather a more selective, technology- and capability-led scaling phase. Firms appear to be aligning their hiring strategies closely to sector demand and delivery strength, an indicator of a maturing "post-disruption" workforce strategy.

As consulting firms evolve their staffing models to address rapid technological change and emerging client expectations, demand for advanced analytics and data-driven insights also continues to rise.

Want to explore how workforce analytics can support your next consulting engagement or investment thesis? Book a demo with Aura to unlock actionable insights, predictive hiring trends, and strategic intelligence tailored to the professional services industry.