Consulting firms keep entry-level hiring steady as AI reshapes pay and recruiting

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Highlights

Bain & Company, Boston Consulting Group, and McKinsey & Company offer new graduates base salaries of $110,000–$112,000, with performance bonuses up to $22,500.
Consulting firms maintain steady entry-level hiring but increasingly target talent with AI implementation, digital transformation, and data skills as demand for specialists rises.
Firms including EY and Deloitte expand recruiting beyond traditional candidates to include engineers, technologists, creatives, non-degree holders, and neurodiverse professionals.

Entry-level compensation across major firms

As reported by Business Insider, Management Consulted recently compiled salary, bonus, and benefit data for new graduates entering major consulting firms, drawing on written job offers from its interview-prep clients and information provided by firm representatives.

Bain & Company lists a base salary of $112,000, with a performance bonus of up to $22,500, a housing allowance of up to $5,000, relocation support of up to $5,000, or up to $10,000 for New York City, and a $5,000 signing bonus. Boston Consulting Group offers a $110,000 base salary, a performance bonus of up to $22,000, profit sharing of up to $4,400, relocation support of up to $6,000, and a $5,000 signing bonus.

McKinsey & Company offers a $112,000 base salary, a performance bonus of up to $18,000, a housing allowance of up to $5,000, relocation support of up to $10,000, and a $5,000 signing bonus. Deloitte Consulting lists base pay of $84,000 to $95,000, performance bonuses of up to $26,250 for MBA hires, relocation support of up to $2,500, and signing bonuses of up to $12,500.

EY offers a $100,000 base salary and a $12,500 signing bonus, while performance bonuses begin only after the third year. KPMG lists base pay of up to $90,000, real-time bonuses, relocation support of up to $2,000, and signing bonuses of up to $7,500. PwC offers base pay of up to $90,000 and signing bonuses of up to $7,500. Accenture lists a $105,000 base salary, performance bonuses of up to $30,000, relocation support of up to $2,500, and a $12,500 signing bonus, or C$10,000 in Canada.

AI shifts demand toward specialized skills

The hiring picture is changing more in job mix than in starting pay. Namaan Mian, chief operating officer of Management Consulted, says firms continue to show strong demand for talent in AI implementation, digital transformation, and data, while salary growth for traditional generalist roles remains relatively muted.

Management Consulted says consulting firms are hiring more specialists, more experienced candidates, and people from schools that the industry has not typically targeted. That shift reflects a broader move away from relying only on traditional generalist profiles as automation reduces some entry-level tasks.

Former Deloitte U.S. AI lead Gert De Geyter said in December that firms are increasingly looking for a combination of generalists and technical experts. EY Americas chief talent and culture officer Ginnie Carlier also said in April that EY has widened recruiting beyond accountants to include engineers, creatives, technologists, candidates without degrees, and neurodiverse professionals.

Our earlier analysis of Arm Holdings (ARM) highlighted a sharp stock move following an earnings beat, as demand for AI-focused CPUs strengthened expectations for growth amid a surge in institutional AI infrastructure spending. We also noted that, while technical indicators remained broadly bullish, overbought signals increased the likelihood of short-term consolidation unless key support levels held.

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