Over a third of consultants leave industry, says survey

Over a third of consultants leave industry, says survey

Over a third of consultants leave the industry altogether when they leave their first employer, according to a survey by recruitment consultancy Beament Leslie Thomas (BLT).

The survey also reveals that the turnover rate in consultancy is relatively high, at 20-30 per cent a year.

It canvassed 500 consultants and senior consultants from BLT’s database.

Of the 36 per cent who left consultancy when they changed their job, the majority (31 per cent) left to take up line management positions, often with client organisations.

There was a particular tendency for public sector consultants, who had previously worked with a local authority, to return to it, the survey said. Another 4 per cent entered MBA courses, while the remaining 1 per cent took up “other” positions.

Despite the large number of consultants leaving the industry, Don Leslie, director in charge of the management consultancy recruitment division of BLT, said he was “slightly surprised” that the figure was not higher.

“I was under the impression that most people remained in consultancy for a few years then moved into ‘normal’ jobs”, he said. But, he added, there is no typical career path for consultants: “The armoury of skills that consultancy gives you means the opportunities are much wider.”

The survey found that, of those who stayed in the industry, over a third moved to similar-sized firms, often direct competitors of the previous consultancy, while just under a third moved to a significantly smaller firm. This move was most typical among consultants in the later stages of their career. Only about one-sixth managed to move to larger firms, while the remainder left to go it alone as independent consultants.

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