A lot of debate has been given to the topic of consulting recently; many have been wondering what effect Brexit will impose on the industry, whereas, businesses attempting to cope with digitalisation has seen others predict an increase in demand for consultant positions.
With this in mind, job meta-search engine Joblift has analysed the UK’s consulting job market and discovered that despite the numerous challenges facing consultant roles, there has been an average monthly increase in the number of consultant job vacancies of around 4%, in the last 12 months. Furthermore, Joblift has observed that there has been a move away from the traditional requirements needed to obtain a consulting role, in terms of soft skills and qualifications.
Over 30,000 business consulting roles have been advertised in the last 12 months, with this job market experiencing an average monthly increase of 4%. This increase is double the rate that the UK job market as a whole has increased; the UK job market as a whole, which has seen an average monthly growth of 2% in the same time frame.
This highlights that there is definite confidence in the industry even though the rising threat of Brexit lurks. Also, when looking at the most common soft skills requested in consulting job advertisements, communication skills are the most popular, appearing in around 25% of all postings. Following this, came motivation with 3,783 mentions, and the third most popular soft skill for consultants was confidence with 3,631 mentions.
These skills highlight the move towards more human qualities in the face of automation and AI, whilst also overtaking the more traditional consulting skills, including; being analytical (2,987 mentions), problem solving (1,616 mentions), and attention to detail (1,315 mentions). This analysis highlights how it appears employers of consultants are sourcing candidates who can offer more than what an automated piece of equipment could and who can provide a more personal and human approach.
Also, the academic requirements needed to get a consultant position are changing as well. Now, only 16% of the consultant jobs posted in the last 12 months ask specifically for a university degree in Finance, Business, Economics, or Engineering. Qualifications in these subjects have previously been vital when acquiring a consulting role. In addition, only 24% of the vacancies posted stated the need for a university degree at all which is a huge shift from the academic history of consulting in business.
However, it is also important to consider that this lack of need for university degrees may be due to the seniority and need for experience in some vacancies – therefore, some postings may be assuming candidates already have these qualifications without specifically stating it in the advertisement. Interesting results can also be found when studying the salary range in consultant positions in the last year. Of the 19,163 positions which specified a salary in their job advertisements, 10,036 postings offered a salary of £50,000 or more, per year – that’s 52% of all vacancies.
In terms of the most popular locations for consultant positions, London houses the greatest number of vacancies, with 34% of all positions being located here. In second place comes Manchester where 4% of all roles are located, and Birmingham ranks in third position, also housing around 4% of all vacancies. Country-wise, it may not be surprising that England dominates as the location of 85% of all postings, with 28,697 jobs having been advertised here in the last 12 months. In second place comes Scotland with 1,424 consultant roles, whilst Wales and Northern Ireland trail behind with 358 positions having been advertised in Wales in the last 12 months, and only 226 advertisements in Northern Ireland.
Infographic courtesy of Joblift.
