As AI reshapes industries, how much will entry-level consultants make?

AI For Business
Michael Lewis


AI is rapidly changing white-collar jobs.

Many companies are reducing the tedious work that employees, especially entry-level employees, have to do. At the same time, young workers are becoming more anxious about finding a job. Look at the wave of boos at recent commencement speakers To celebrate the power of technology.

The consulting industry is no exception. AI is rapidly changing the way these companies operate, driving more strategic hiring in automating entry-level tasks, said Namaan Mian, chief operating officer of Management Consulted, a company that trains and prepares students and others for careers in the consulting industry.

“While we continue to see high demand for talent in AI implementation, digital transformation and data, salary growth for traditional generalist roles remains relatively slow,” Mian said.

Management Consulted said in a recent report that consulting firms are hiring more professionals, people with more experience, and candidates from schools not typically targeted by the industry.

Gert de Geiter, former head of AI at Deloitte US, told Business Insider in December that companies are now looking for a mix of “generalists and technical experts” rather than “pure traditional consultants.”

EY, for example, once comprised only accountants, is now broadening its pool of candidates to include engineers, creatives, technologists, candidates without degrees, and highly diverse professionals, Ginny Currier, chief people and culture officer at EY Americas, told Business Insider in April.

The big question that every job seeker probably has is how this is reflected in salary. Mian said not much has changed, at least at the introductory level.

Management Consulted recently compiled a list of salaries, bonuses, and other benefits offered by major consulting firms to new graduates. This data is based on written job information received from interview preparation clients and information provided directly by company representatives.

Here’s what they found:

bain and company


Bain and Company logo displayed on mobile phone

Bain offers the highest base salary for new graduates.

Illustration: Timon Schneider/SOPA Images/LightRocket, Getty Images

The smallest of the Big Three, Bain has approximately 19,000 employees and offices in 65 cities around the world.

Bain is led by Christophe De Vusser, who serves as Worldwide Managing Partner and CEO.

base: $112,000

Performance bonus: up to $22,500

Housing allowance: up to $5,000

transfer: Up to $5,000. Up to $10,000 in New York

Signing bonus: $5,000

boston consulting group


Boston Consulting Group's logo at its Boston headquarters.

Boston Consulting Group offers new consultants a base salary of $110,000.

Plexi Images/GHI/UCG/Universal Images Group (Getty Images)

BCG was founded in Boston in 1963 and is still headquartered there. The company will have 32,000 employees in 2023 and 128 offices worldwide.

BCG is led by Christoph Schweitzer, who will serve as CEO from 2021, and its North American operations are led by Mel Wolfgang.

base: $110,000

Performance bonus: up to $22,000

Profit distribution: up to $4,400

transfer: up to $6,000

Signing bonus: $5,000

McKinsey & Company


McKinsey & Company

McKinsey & Company pays first-year consultants a base salary of approximately $112,000.

Wolf von Devitz/Photo in partnership via Getty Images

Headquartered in New York City, McKinsey is the largest MBB with more than 45,000 employees in 130 offices around the world.

The company is led by Bob Sternfels, the company’s global managing partner and chairman of the board.

base: $112,000

Performance bonus: up to $18,000

Housing allowance: up to $5,000

transfer: up to $10,000

Signing bonus: $5,000

deloitte consulting


deloitte

Deloitte pays entry-level employees less than $100,000 annually.

Michael Nguyen/NurPhoto via Getty Images

With more than 181,000 employees across the United States, Deloitte is one of the “Big Four.” The company generated approximately $36 billion in revenue in the fiscal year ending May 2025 and has 122 offices across the United States.

base: $84,000 – $95,000

Performance bonus: Up to $26,250 for MBA hires

transfer: up to $2,500

Signing bonus: up to $12,500

EY


EY

EY pays junior employees about $100,000 a year, with bonuses only given after the third year.

Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto (via Getty Images)

EY has nearly 400,000 employees worldwide and generated approximately $53 billion in the fiscal year ending June 2025.

base: $100,000

Performance bonus: Only after 3rd year

Signing bonus: $12,500

KPMG


KPMG

KPMG pays entry-level employees less than $100,00 per year, but offers real-time bonuses.

Credit goes to CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images.

With approximately 276,000 employees in 138 countries and territories, KPMG reports global revenues of approximately $40 billion for the fiscal year ending September 2025.

The company also opened a 450,000-square-foot office in New York to facilitate in-person work.

base: up to $90,000

Performance bonus: real time bonus

transfer: up to $2,000

Signing bonus: up to $7,500

PwC


PwC

PwC offers entry-level employees a base salary of approximately $90,000 and a signing bonus of $7,500.

Matthias Bork/Photo in partnership via Getty Images

PwC has approximately 365,000 employees and reported revenue of approximately $60 billion in the fiscal year ending 2025.

base: up to $90,000

Signing bonus: up to $7,500

Accenture


Accenture

Accenture is the largest employer among large consulting firms. We pay new employees a base salary of approximately $105,000.

Joan Cross/Null Photography via Getty Images

Accenture has approximately 786,000 employees worldwide and reported fiscal year 2025 revenue of $69.67 billion.

base: $105,000

Performance bonus: up to $30,000

transfer: up to $2,500

Signing bonus: $12,500 (Canada: $10,000 CAD)