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By Gunjan Kalwani - Senior Associate, Data Integrity

The consultant experience as an employee is shaped by multiple factors, from career progression and financial incentives to work-life balance and organizational culture.

Vencon Research’s Consultant Salary Survey not only provides detailed salary structures but also examines career-related aspects such as time-based remuneration, career progression, sign-on bonuses, and other factors that significantly influence employment decisions in a competitive market. These insights are included in the accompanying presentation format of our survey as standard.

Career Progression: Mapping the Path Forward

Career progression in consulting follows a structured advancement through different roles, characterized by increasing responsibility, skill development, and experience over time. Aligning career progression with both company growth and employee expectations is essential for attracting ambitious talent and retaining high performers.

While many professionals follow a standard promotion timeline, others may progress at faster or slower rates depending on performance and business needs. Vencon Research’s Consultant Salary Survey captures all three career tracks—fast, typical, and slow—to provide companies with a clearer view of industry norms. Firms can use this data to assess whether their career progression structure aligns with competitive benchmarks and industry best practices.

Beyond broad career tracks, Vencon Research also offers detailed breakdowns by individual career levels, helping firms compare their career progression models with those of their competitors and refine their talent development strategies.

Time-Based Remuneration: Understanding Pay Progression Over Tenure

Time-based remuneration progression tracks how salaries evolve based on tenure, offering valuable insights even if compensation is not strictly linked to time spent at a particular level. This data helps organizations understand historical pay trends, benchmark against industry standards, and identify potential inequities in pay structures.

While Vencon Research’s salary surveys primarily benchmark roles based on responsibilities rather than tenure, time-based remuneration insights are available to provide additional context on how salaries change over time within the industry.

Graduate Starting Salaries: Setting Competitive Entry-Level Pay

Starting salaries are a crucial factor in attracting top graduates and early-career professionals. These salaries vary based on factors such as educational background, geographical location, and market demand. Competitive starting salaries ensure firms can secure the best talent while avoiding the risks of over- or underpayment.

Vencon Research’s Salary Survey includes detailed insights into starting salaries at the entry level for candidates with Bachelor’s, Master’s, and MBA degrees, helping firms refine their recruitment strategies and compensation packages.

Sign-On Bonuses: A Key Talent Attraction Tool

Sign-on bonuses serve as financial incentives to entice new employees to join a company, often structured as a lump-sum payment with a payback period if the employee leaves within a specified timeframe. These bonuses can be particularly influential in consulting, where firms compete for high-calibre candidates.

Tracking sign-on bonus trends through benchmarking allows companies to assess whether their offerings remain attractive relative to competitors, ensuring they maintain a strong recruitment advantage.

Referral Incentives: Encouraging Employee-Driven Recruitment

Financial incentives for employee referrals reward current staff for recommending qualified candidates, helping firms reduce recruitment costs and improve hiring quality. However, ensuring these incentives strike the right balance between motivation and budget efficiency is key.

Benchmarking referral incentives allows firms to fine-tune their programs to maximize effectiveness while maintaining cost control.

Overtime Policy and Time Off in Lieu: Balancing Workload and Compensation

Overtime compensation policies vary widely across consulting firms. Some companies pay overtime at an enhanced rate, while others offer Time Off in Lieu (TOIL), allowing employees to trade extra hours worked for additional paid leave.

Comparing these policies with industry standards helps firms identify potential gaps or inefficiencies, ensuring their approach remains competitive and supports employee satisfaction.

Beyond Compensation: Additional Career-Related Factors

Other aspects such as internship programs, utilization rates, and revenue targets also serve as valuable benchmarks for assessing industry trends and identifying areas for growth. These factors influence not only individual job satisfaction but also the broader organizational culture – all of them are included in our reports.

Long-term success in consulting isn’t just about securing clients—it’s about developing and retaining talented professionals who can drive the firm’s vision forward. Offering transparent career progression and effective incentive structures reduces turnover and strengthens employer branding. Regularly reviewing and benchmarking these policies and keeping them in view when benchmarking compensation ensures they remain relevant, competitive, and aligned with evolving workforce expectations.

Download a sample report to get a full picture of our benchmarking data.

Vencon Research provides the insights consulting firms need to attract and retain top talent. Contact us today to learn how our benchmarking reports can help you refine your compensation strategy and stay ahead of the curve.

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By:
David Warren - Partner Emeritus
‍Erwin Harbauer - Managing Director

The German management consulting market remains one of Europe's most resilient and dynamic, continuing to reflect the country's position as the continent’s largest economy.

As of March 2025, the sector has continued its post-pandemic recovery, reaching an estimated market volume of € 47.7 billion, with a modest 1.1% growth rate, down from an average of 3% since 2020. Demand is largely driven by digital transformation, energy consulting, and sustainability initiatives, as businesses navigate stringent EU and local German environmental regulations and the shift to renewable energy. Industry leaders such as Roland Berger, McKinsey & Company, and Accenture dominate, leveraging their expertise to help companies manage geopolitical uncertainties and economic volatility.

Digital Services Take Centre Stage

Digitalization remains a core focus, with firms seeking advisory support to integrate AI, big data, and cloud computing to enhance operational efficiency and resilience amid supply chain disruptions and rising energy costs. Consulting firms are expanding digital service offerings through partnerships with tech giants and in-house innovations. Additionally, remote and hybrid work models—solidified during the pandemic—are reshaping service delivery, optimizing costs while maintaining client engagement.

Competition and Regulation Reshape the Market

Competition in the German consulting market is intensifying. Homegrown firms like Roland Berger and Simon-Kucher retain strong footholds, while global players such as BCG, Bain & Company, and the Big Four continue expanding. Niche consultancies specializing in ESG / EES and regulatory compliance are also gaining traction, particularly in response to EU directives like the Non-Financial Reporting Directive. However, challenges persist, including talent shortages and fee pressures, driving firms to ramp up recruitment efforts—evidenced by BCG and McKinsey’s plans to hire hundreds of consultants annually.

Outlook: Growth with Challenges Ahead

Looking ahead, the market is poised for continued growth, albeit retaining the current low rate, with projections suggesting it could reach € 50.2 billion by 2030. Key drivers include the ongoing digital and green transitions and the resilience of Germany’s industrial sector. However, risks such as inflation, geopolitical instability, and the country’s continued economic slowdown may temper expectations. To stay competitive, consulting firms are expected to deepen their focus on innovation, sustainability, and client-centric solutions, ensuring their relevance in this evolving business landscape.

Vencon Research specializes in compensation benchmarking for strategy consulting firms, providing data-driven insights to help firms make informed decisions on pay structures and market positioning. With a focus on accuracy and industry-specific analysis, Vencon Research ensures consulting firms stay competitive in an evolving market.

Stay Informed with the Latest Insights: For the most up-to-date market trends, benchmarking data, and strategic insights tailored to the consulting industry, explore Vencon Research’s latest reports. Contact us to learn how our data-driven approach can help your firm navigate the evolving consulting landscape.

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Percentiles are a key statistical tool in compensation benchmarking, providing a clear and structured way to compare salaries within a broader market.

By dividing data into ranked segments, percentiles allow firms to understand where their pay structures fall in relation to the competition, whether they are positioned at the lower, middle, or upper end of the market. Unlike averages, which can be skewed by extreme values, percentiles present a more accurate and nuanced view of salary distributions, making them particularly useful in salary benchmarking reports.

Statistics and the Use of Percentiles

Percentiles are a key tool in descriptive statistics, allowing researchers to summarize data distributions efficiently. Over time, they have been widely adopted across various disciplines due to their ability to provide meaningful insights into datasets without requiring complex mathematical calculations.

One of the earliest large-scale applications of percentiles was in educational testing. Standardized exams in the United States, such as the SAT, GRE, and IQ tests commonly use percentiles to rank test-takers, showing how an individual's score compares to others. For example, a student scoring in the 90th percentile has performed better than 90% of test-takers. This same principle applies across other domains, from healthcare and epidemiology to finance and engineering, making percentiles a versatile and universal statistical measure.

Percentiles are widely used in various industries to analyse and interpret complex data distributions:

• Healthcare & Epidemiology: In medical research, percentiles are crucial in understanding health indicators such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, or body mass index (BMI). Paediatricians, for instance, assess a child’s growth using percentile charts, which indicate how a child compares to others of the same age.
• Finance & Economics: Investors and analysts use percentiles to evaluate market performance. A mutual fund’s return in the 90th percentile means it outperforms 90% of similar funds. Likewise, income distribution studies use percentiles to define economic classes and assess wage inequality.
• Manufacturing & Quality Control: In industrial settings, percentiles help define product quality standards. For example, if a company wants to ensure that 95% of its manufactured parts meet certain specifications, it may set quality control limits at the 5th and 95th percentiles.
• Technology & AI: Percentiles play a key role in machine learning and AI-driven decision-making. Many predictive models rely on percentile ranks to filter out anomalies or detect patterns in large datasets.

Each of these industries benefits from the ability of percentiles to break down complex datasets into digestible insights, allowing stakeholders to make informed decisions based on clear comparative measures.

Percentiles as the Ideal Measure for Aggregated and Confidential Data

One of the biggest advantages of percentiles is their ability to present an accurate picture of aggregated data without requiring access to individual data points. Unlike averages, which can be skewed by extreme values, percentiles show the full distribution of a dataset. This makes them particularly useful when working with large sets of confidential or anonymized data, where individual records cannot be disclosed.

Consider an alternative approach—using averages to analyse salary data. A single high-paying outlier could disproportionately raise the average, leading to a misleading representation of typical market pay. Conversely, a wide spread in the lower range could bring the average far down from the predominant pay level in the market. In contrast, percentiles provide a more nuanced picture. The 50th percentile (median) shows what a "middle-of-the-market" salary looks like, while the 25th and 75th percentiles define the lower and upper ranges, respectively. This allows firms to position their pay policies strategically based on their compensation philosophy.

Salary benchmarking data is inherently aggregated because individual salaries remain confidential to protect the interests of both employers and employees. No single participant in a salary survey can access another firm’s exact data, ensuring privacy and compliance with data protection regulations. Instead, data from multiple sources is combined and analysed in percentile distributions, giving firms the insights they need without exposing specific salary figures.

This is why percentiles are such an effective tool in salary benchmarking. They allow consulting firms to compare themselves against the market while maintaining confidentiality. By using a range of percentiles, firms can see where they stand relative to different segments of the industry—whether they are paying at the lower end, middle, or upper tiers of the market. At Vencon Research, we present percentile analyses in most of our reports using 5-percentile increments, ranging from the 5th to the 95th percentile. This approach enables our clients to gain deeper and more precise insights into their market positioning.

Additionally, percentile analysis supports long-term strategic decision-making. Firms can assess pay trends over time, adjust their compensation strategies to remain competitive, and ensure they are offering salaries that align with their desired market positioning. For example, a firm aiming to attract top talent may choose to pay at the 75th percentile, ensuring their compensation package is more attractive than those of most competitors.

Vencon Research is the leading provider of compensation benchmarking statistics to the global consulting industry. To find out more about our surveys and our benchmarking methodology do not hesitate to get in touch. Our team is always ready to provide personalized assistance to meet your specific needs.

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By Andy Klose - Associate Partner at Vencon Research in Berlin, Germany

Management consulting firms frequently face a critical challenge: balancing competitive partner compensation with sustainable growth and profitability. Many firms set their target on compensating partners at the market median but often fall short. This misalignment leads to partner dissatisfaction and increased pressure on leadership. Addressing the issue requires a strategic, data-driven approach that not only ensures fair compensation but also fosters performance-driven growth.

Performance and Financial Outcomes Are Interdependent

At its core, the challenge stems from a direct but complex link between partner compensation and firm profitability. Unlike salaried employees, partners derive their income largely from the firm’s profits, which in turn depend on their own ability to generate revenue and control costs. If partners underperform, firm-wide profitability suffers, making it financially unfeasible to pay them at target market levels. Therefore, increasing partner compensation requires a dual focus: boosting individual partner performance and improving overall firm profitability.

Understanding the Compensation Gap

Vencon Research regularly benchmarks partner compensation across consulting firms, comparing actual earnings to market norms and the firm’s target market percentile. A common scenario we come across involves consulting firms aspiring to pay their partners at the market median but operating closer to the 25th percentile (lower quartile). At the same time, these firms aim for ambitious double-digit revenue growth while maintaining or improving profitability.

A deeper analysis often reveals a fundamental issue: underperformance among partners, with a significant proportion failing to meet their sales targets. This raises an essential question: How can the firm enhance both partner compensation and financial sustainability?

Growth Strategies: Expanding Revenue Potential

To meet revenue growth targets, firms typically consider three strategic options:

1. Increase sales targets for existing partners: While raising revenue expectations seems like a logical solution, it is often impractical if partners are already struggling to meet current targets. Without structural changes, higher sales goals would likely intensify the firm’s revenue attainment challenges.
2. Increase the number of partners: Promoting internal talent or hiring externally can drive additional revenue. However, this approach is hindered if the firm’s partner compensation is not competitive, making it difficult to attract and retain top talent.
3. Pursue “inorganic” growth: Acquiring smaller consulting firms can provide an immediate revenue boost, assuming the financial backing is available. Yet, without addressing underlying performance and profitability issues, mergers and acquisitions merely delay—but do not solve—the fundamental problem.

Given these challenges, what practical steps can firms take to improve both financial performance and partner satisfaction?

Rethinking Partner Compensation: Pay-for-Performance

While increasing partner pay to the target market percentile is a straightforward solution, it is rarely feasible without increasing profitability. Unlike consultant levels (below partner), where competitive compensation is often mandatory to reduce attrition, partner pay must align with contributions to the firm’s financial health.

Most consulting firms adopt a meritocratic “pay-for-performance” model. To ensure consistency, we advocate for a structured approach that integrates profit, goals, and pay within defined frameworks such as partner levels or career groups. This approach, which we refer to as the Trinity Model, links partner compensation directly to revenue and profit contributions.

Addressing Partner Underperformance

One of the key hurdles to increasing partner compensation is underperformance. Firms must take a systematic approach to improve productivity and effectiveness at the partner level. A crucial first step is conducting a book of business review to assess individual contributions and identify areas for growth. Additionally, firms should evaluate:

• Role clarity and expectations: Many underperforming partners prioritize project delivery over business development. Clarifying expectations through role definitions and accountability frameworks is essential.
• Training and development: Equipping partners with business development skills can enhance revenue generation capabilities.
• Structural realignment: Refining the firm’s partner model, including job descriptions and performance benchmarks, ensures a stronger alignment between roles and firm strategy.

Improving Profitability to Sustain Growth

Beyond individual partner performance, firms should optimize their broader business structure to enhance profitability. Key areas for evaluation include:

• Project team composition: Ensuring an optimal balance of senior and junior consulting staff improves cost efficiency.
• Firm-wide organizational structure: Adjusting the overall staffing pyramid and staff-to-partner ratios can drive margin improvements.
• Operational efficiency: Identifying cost-saving measures and optimizing service delivery models contribute to higher profits.

By strengthening both individual performance and overall firm profitability, consulting firms can create a sustainable foundation for increasing partner compensation.

A Holistic Approach to Sustainable Growth

Aligning partner compensation with market expectations requires a holistic strategy that addresses both revenue generation and profitability. By improving partner performance, optimizing the firm’s organizational structure, and reinforcing a merit-based pay model, consulting firms can create a sustainable path toward higher earnings and growth.

Additionally, enhancing compensation competitiveness will improve the firm’s ability to attract top-tier partner candidates, further accelerating growth. In the long run, improved profitability may also open doors for external financing, enabling both organic and inorganic expansion.

Ultimately, firms that successfully integrate these elements will be well-positioned to achieve their financial targets while ensuring partner satisfaction and long-term success.

We would be pleased to assist you with any additional inquiries and provide recommendations to enhance performance and financial sustainability in your organization. Contact us to learn more.

Andy Klose is an Associate Partner at Vencon Research International and heads the firm’s consulting unit.

Vencon Research International is a leading provider of compensation benchmarking and research as well as of compensation and performance-related consulting services for professional service firms, especially for audit and tax, management consulting, and IT services firms. Vencon Research International provides services to a full range of clients in more than 75 countries worldwide and is proud to name more than 85% of the world’s major consulting and/or professional services firm its clients.

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2025 Expected Salary Increases in the Consulting Industry

These concise overviews provide:

• A consulting-specific picture, representing real estimates gathered first-hand from consulting firms in the local market.
• A picture of country wide expected salary increases, based on data from third-party research.

Our download package includes:

• Brazil
• France
• India
• United Kingdom
• United States

Vencon Research conducts compensation benchmarking studies for over 70 countries worldwide. Should you require further information on the summaries included or additional data for different countries, please contact us.

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By Osas Ohenhen - Business Development Manager

A well-executed salary benchmarking process follows a structured approach to ensure meaningful comparisons. Previously, we outlined four key steps that contribute to accurate and actionable benchmarking results:

1. Selecting the most relevant competitors
2. Identifying the most applicable “line of business”
3. Conducting accurate job matching
4. Comparing the relevant components of remuneration

This article focuses on the final step: ensuring a clear understanding of remuneration components before making comparisons. Without alignment on these components, salary benchmarks can lead to misleading conclusions, impacting firms' ability to offer competitive and fair compensation.

The Importance of Defining Remuneration Components

For benchmarking data to be reliable, all participants must operate on a like-for-like basis when reporting compensation. This requires standardizing definitions to ensure consistency across firms, regions, and roles. Failure to do so can result in distorted comparisons, where compensation figures appear higher or lower due to differences in what is included rather than actual market trends.

Key Remuneration Components in Salary Benchmarking

Understanding the breakdown of compensation is critical when benchmarking salaries. Below are the key components that provide a complete view of an employee’s total remuneration:

1. Basic Salary

The contractually guaranteed cash component of an employee's pay, excluding any bonuses or variable elements. This figure is typically expressed as an annual amount. Example: In the United States, the basic salary is the fixed amount an employee receives before bonuses, stock options, or benefits.

2. Allowances

Additional fixed payments that supplement basic salary, often provided to account for region-specific costs such as housing, transportation, or meal expenses. These are not typically included in bonus calculations. Example: In India, allowances may cover travel, meals, and medical expenses, significantly affecting total pay.

3. Fixed Overtime

A predetermined overtime payment included in an employee’s remuneration regardless of actual overtime hours worked. This structure is common in certain markets with strict labour laws. Example: In Japan, many companies include a fixed overtime component as part of base pay.

4. Base Salary

The sum of basic salary and allowances, providing a more complete view of guaranteed cash compensation. Example: In Australia, base salary may also include mandatory employer superannuation contributions to retirement funds.

5. Bonus (Variable Compensation)

Bonuses may be reported in two ways:

• Target Bonus: The expected variable cash bonus, typically expressed as a percentage of basic salary.
• Actual Bonus: The most recent bonus paid, reflecting realized performance-based compensation.

Example: In many markets, bonuses are tied to individual and firm performance, making them a crucial part of competitive pay structures.

Target vs. Actual Compensation: In salary benchmarking, target compensation refers to the expected or projected amount an employee is set to receive, typically based on predefined salary structures or bonus plans. In contrast, actual compensation—sometimes referred to as achieved compensation—reflects the real amounts paid in the previous year, including any variations due to performance-based bonuses, adjustments, or other discretionary elements.

6. Total Cash Compensation (TCC)

The sum of base salary and actual bonus, representing an employee’s total earnings before benefits and employer contributions.

• Target TCC (t-TCC): Expected total cash compensation, including the target bonus.
• Actual TCC (a-TCC): Total cash compensation actually paid in the prior year.

Example: In Switzerland, TCC reflects both base salary and the variable bonus awarded based on company performance.

7. Total Cost-To-Company (CTC)

A broader measure that includes base salary, variable cash bonuses, and the employer’s cost of benefits such as pension contributions, health insurance, and other mandatory employer payments.

• Target CTC (t-CTC): The anticipated total employment cost to the firm.
• Actual CTC (a-CTC): The total cost incurred in the prior year.

Example: In South Africa, CTC includes employer contributions to retirement funds and medical aid, providing a more comprehensive view of total compensation.

Vencon Research’s Approach to Defining and Comparing Remuneration Components

Vencon Research ensures clarity and consistency by standardizing how remuneration components are defined and reported. Our benchmarking reports provide detailed data on all relevant compensation elements for both the current and previous years, allowing firms to track market trends accurately.

Why Vencon Research Stands Out

Vencon Research’s methodology offers consulting firms a significant advantage by ensuring robust and reliable salary benchmarks. Key differentiators include:

• Comprehensive Data Coverage: Our reports account for all major remuneration components, preventing inconsistencies that could skew comparisons.
• Year-over-Year Comparisons: We provide both current and historical data, helping firms analyse compensation trends over time.
• Tailored Insights for Consulting Firms: Our benchmarks are designed specifically for strategy consulting firms, ensuring relevance and accuracy.
• Market Intelligence Beyond Compensation: We offer insights into broader pay trends, helping firms align their compensation strategies with evolving market standards.
• Unmatched Expertise in Job Matching: Unlike many providers, Vencon Research prioritizes accurate job matching, ensuring that benchmarking comparisons are made between truly equivalent roles.

Agreeing on and properly comparing remuneration components is essential for effective salary benchmarking. Misalignment in definitions can lead to inaccurate market positioning and difficulty in attracting and retaining talent. By leveraging Vencon Research’s structured approach and industry-specific insights, consulting firms can ensure their compensation practices remain competitive, equitable, and aligned with market expectations.

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