Research among nearly 20,000 graduates across UK’s top universities and business schools has revealed the country’s top consulting firms to work.
The survey asked young professionals that graduated from university or a business school in 2019 a number of questions on their industry and employer of preference. As has been the case over the last five years, management consulting has surfaced as the top career choice for graduates.
The management consulting industry thanks to its popularity to the steep learning curve it offers, the diversity of the job (gaining experience at different clients in varying industries), the opportunity to work with some of UK’s brightest minds and the extensive learning & development programmes offered by consultancies.
When the survey from The Times was first to run in 1999, global consulting and technology firm Accenture topped the ‘Top 100 Graduate Employers’ ranking, and now two decades down the line, Accenture still finds itself among the top picks of graduates. However, for the 9th year in a row, PwC has been named UK’s top consulting employer for graduates, ahead of its Big Four rivals. KPMG and Deloitte both rank in the top 10, while EY is placed 11th.
Best consulting firms according to 20,000 graduates to other accounting-origin firms – both have a significant consulting practice, both globally as well as in the UK – have made the top 100. Combined BDO and Grant Thornton hire more than 800 graduates per year across their different functions, including accounting, audit, financial advisory, consulting, legal, tax and technology.
Also in the list of UK’s top consulting firms to work for are the globe’s three largest strategy consulting firms: McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group and Bain & Company, collectively known as the ‘MBB’. McKinsey, the largest of the trio in the UK, ranks highest, followed by Boston Consulting Group and Bain & Company. Newton, an Oxfordshire-based consulting firm is with some 400 employees the smallest player on the list, and has a graduate intake of around 100 graduates per year.
PwC
Ranking in Top 100 Graduate Employers: #2
Number of employees: 20,000
Number of graduate jobs: 1,350 across Audit, Consulting, Deals, Legal, Risk, Tax and Technology.
Minimum requirements: 2.1 degree
KPMG
Ranking in Top 100 Graduate Employers: #6
Number of employees: 13,500
Number of graduate jobs: 1,200 across Accounting, Consulting, Deal Advisory Tax & Pensions and Technology.
Minimum requirements: 2.1 degree, 120 UCAS points
Deloitte
Ranking in Top 100 Graduate Employers: #7
Number of employees: 1,200
Number of graduate jobs: 1,350 across Audit, Consulting, Financial Advisory and Technology.
Minimum requirements: 2.1 degree, 104 UCAS points
EY
Ranking in Top 100 Graduate Employers: #11
Number of employees: 14,500
Number of graduate jobs: 1,250 across Audit, Accounting, Advisory, Financial Advisory and Technology.
Minimum requirements: 2.1 degree
Newton
Ranking in Top 100 Graduate Employers: #19
Number of employees: 380
Number of graduate jobs: 100
Minimum requirements: None
McKinsey & Company
Ranking in Top 100 Graduate Employers: #20
Number of employees: 1,000
Number of graduate jobs: 80
Accenture
Ranking in Top 100 Graduate Employers: #27
Number of employees: 12,000 (UK and Ireland)
Number of graduate jobs: 1,000
Boston Consulting Group
Ranking in Top 100 Graduate Employers: #35
Number of employees: 800
Number of graduate jobs: 60
Bain & Company
Ranking in Top 100 Graduate Employers: #78
Number of employees: 300
Number of graduate jobs: 30
BDO
Ranking in Top 100 Graduate Employers: #81
Number of employees: 5,000
Number of graduate jobs: 380
Minimum requirements: 2.2 degree
Grant Thornton
Ranking in Top 100 Graduate Employers: #99
Number of employees: 4,500
Number of graduate jobs: 400-450
Minimum requirements: None
Sourced from ConsultancyUK