July 30, 2026

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Digital Maturity Barometer Report: The impact of AI on the consulting firm job market

Ben Edwards

VP of Consulting & Partnerships

Ben helps consulting firms in North America and EMEA use CMap to achieve a "single source of truth" across key metrics like future capacity, demand, revenue forecasting, projects, and resourcing. Ben also leads our monthly partner webinar series and is regular host of our monthly CMap consulting Live Demos.

Find Ben on LinkedIn

As AI starts reshaping the modern job market, companies are placing greater emphasis on efficiency. For young professionals, this means an increasingly competitive job market.

As a result, true entry-level jobs are becoming harder to find. The baseline for junior talent has risen significantly, with many applicants now expected to meet what used to be mid-level requirements. Now, 35% of supposed entry-level jobs require at least three years' experience, requiring freshly qualified students to bring senior problem-solving skills much earlier in their careers.

These changes are sparking questions about how the next generation of talent can adapt, as two in three young professionals in North America are employed in jobs with a medium-to-high exposure to AI-driven task change. To navigate this fast-changing landscape, job seekers are increasingly focused on upskilling to avoid being left behind.

Alongside mass layoffs fuelled by AI, economic uncertainty is at the forefront of people’s minds when job hunting, creating the perfect storm that is flattening the traditional corporate pyramid and leading to a bottleneck of overqualified applicants flooding the entry-level market.

To understand how AI and these structural changes are playing out, we analysed US Census data alongside LinkedIn job stats to examine how professional services are using AI and how it’s impacting the junior workforce.

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Key takeaways from the Digital Maturity Barometer Report:

Apart from the Information sector, professional services are leading the way with AI use – currently, nearly 40% of US businesses use AI in their workforce and business functions.

While nearly two-thirds (60.50%) of firms in the professional services sector use AI to supplement and enhance tasks done by their workforce, one in six (15.50%) firms in the professional services sector have completely replaced some employee tasks with AI capability.

Professional services are expected to lead the way with future AI use, as 42.9% expect to implement AI into business functions within the next few months.

Boutique consulting firms are outpacing the headcount growth of mid-sized firms, growing an average of 4.61% YoY compared with 3.03%.

Entry-level applicants are competing against senior applicants for the same roles, as nearly two-thirds of junior consultant applicants are senior professionals.

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The Digital Maturity Barometer: AI use across the US

To understand AI use in America, we analyzed US Census data on the 19 largest business sectors. By assigning each sector a score out of 100 across three core pillars, we established an AI adoption score that ranks sectors to determine which are staying ahead of the AI wave and which are falling behind.

Current AI adoption: Measures whether business functions and employees currently utilize AI in daily tasks.

Employee enhancement: Explores the structural impact on the workforce, examining how employees use AI and how it’s changing tasks.

Future AI adoption: Looks ahead to understand how businesses intend to implement AI in the upcoming months.

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Across the US, how are businesses using AI?

On a national scale, AI is steadily becoming the norm and cementing its place in the workplace. Currently, 19.50% of businesses are utilizing it within business functions – predominantly in sales and marketing. While 22.60% report that employees are using AI, mainly to aid writing or editing.

For the time being, AI is acting as a handy assistant rather than replacing tasks completed by employees. The majority of organizations (43.70%) are using it to supplement and enhance existing workloads, likely to increase productivity. However, 10.10% of businesses admit to using it to perform tasks previously done by employees. These tasks are often done by the junior workforce, leading to a highly competitive job market, particularly in the tech sector, where AI-fuelled layoffs have been widely reported.

Looking ahead, while nearly a quarter (22.70%) of businesses intend to implement AI within the coming months, the majority (52.10%) remain cautious and are resisting implementing AI in the coming months, showing that its uptake is hugely dependent on the sector.

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Top 10 ranking sectors for AI adoption score

Top 10 ranking sectors for AI adoption score
Sector	Current AI use	Employee enhancement	Future AI use	AI adoption score
Information	100.00	99.48	84.50	94.66
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	91.68	100.00	81.10	90.92
Management of Companies and Enterprises	83.35	53.85	100.00	79.07
Educational Services	83.35	87.67	62.38	77.80
Finance and Insurance	76.55	84.79	70.32	77.22
Real Estate, Rental and Leasing	62.02	74.91	55.20	64.04
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	52.29	75.44	43.29	57.00
Health Care and Social Assistance	53.69	66.26	46.31	55.42
Administrative, Support, Waste Management and Remediation Services	45.37	70.10	40.64	52.04
Wholesale Trade	44.20	61.89	35.54	47.21

How prepared are consulting firms for AI?

Comparatively, the professional services are ahead of the curve, ranking second behind the Information sector, driven by its enthusiastic AI uptake. They sit head and shoulders above the national average, securing an AI adoption score of 91/100

At the opposite end, the blue-collar sectors are adapting much more slowly, with Transportation and Warehousing incorporating AI the least into their businesses, with an AI adoption score of just 22/100.

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How are consulting firms currently using AI?

Professional services are well ahead of the curve, securing a near-perfect current AI adoption score of 92/100, second only to the Information sector.

Currently, 38.80% of firms have adopted AI across their business functions, and while the majority of businesses in the US implement it in sales and marketing, professional services are using it most in research and development.

At the same time, 39.40% of businesses are actively embedding it into their employees' day-to-day work lives. Often, AI is used this way to help with efficiency, and while research has shown it can boost productivity and drive output quality, it needs to be used correctly. However, using AI to do administrative tasks could potentially be a contributing factor to the flattening corporate structure because companies are seeing it as a replacement for junior positions rather than an assistant.

Overall, the sector is above the national average for current AI use, demonstrating its innovative nature.

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Professional services and national level AI current usage

Professional services and national-level AI current usage
Sector	% using AI to assist tasks	% using AI in business functions	Main business function use	Main work-related task use (generative AI)	Current AI use score
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	39.40%	38.80%	Research and development	Writing or editing documents, emails, or communications	91.68
National	22.60%	19.50%	Sales and marketing	Writing or editing documents, emails, or communications	N/A

Is AI in consulting firms changing employee workload?

Professional services scored a perfect score of 100/100 for the employee enhancement pillar, mainly boosted by companies streamlining employee workloads. Nearly two-thirds (60.50%) of businesses now use AI to supplement or enhance tasks performed by employees – a notable amount above the national benchmark of 43.70%.

However, the sector is also one of the sectors using AI most to replace the work being done by employees. A considerable 15.50% of businesses admit to using it to perform tasks previously done by employees. Furthermore, one in ten businesses – the second-highest in the data – have claimed that a large number of tasks are being replaced with AI.

It’s important to note that while businesses may have admitted to using AI to replace employee tasks, the majority (61.60%) said that only a small number of tasks are being done by AI that were previously done by employees. Equally, it’s also being used to introduce new tasks.

McKinsey’s State of Organizations report found that 43% of leaders cite productivity growth as their top priority, which can lead businesses to place more emphasis on employee output and optimization rather than sustained value growth, particularly as nearly two-thirds (61%) of leaders feel high pressure to deliver further gains.

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Professional services and national-level AI-driven employee enhancement

Professional services and national-level AI-driven employee enhancement
Sector	% Supplement or enhance tasks	% Performing task previously done by employee	% of tasks done by AI instead of employees — large number	% of tasks done by AI instead of employees — small number	Employee enhancement score
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	60.50%	15.50%	10.80%	61.60%	100
National	43.70%	10.10%	7.10%	70.90%	N/A

In the future, how are consulting firms intending to use AI?

Professional services secured a score of 81.10/100 for expected future AI use. As businesses look forward to the rest of the year, 42.90% of professional services intend to implement AI in business functions within the next six months – nearly double the amount of the national benchmark (22.70%)

In comparison to the rest of the nation, the sector is ahead in the race to implement AI and streamline workloads. But businesses must be mindful of the impact it could have on employees if it goes unchecked. Currently, AI is mainly being used to alleviate employee workloads; however, some industries, such as tech, are using it to replace junior jobs, leading to mass AI-driven layoffs. Reports show AI has been cited as the main reason for cuts for a fourth straight month and in about 23% of all job cut announcements this year alone.

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Professional services and national-level future AI use

Professional services and national-level future AI use
Sector	% intending to implement in business functions	Main business function use	Future use score
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	42.90%	Research and development	81.10
National	22.70%	Sales and marketing	N/A

Source: CMap Digital Maturity Barometer Report — analysis of US Census data and LinkedIn job listings, 2026.

How is AI changing the consulting firm workforce?

At a time when over half of employees are seeking or watching for new jobs, young talent is seeking job security.

Traditionally, a lot of graduates chase a grad role in a larger consultancy firm, but our data shows that boutique firms have grown 4.61% year-on-year compared to a 3.03% year-on-year growth of mid-sized firms, suggesting that graduates no longer need to limit themselves to certain firms and may find better job security at smaller ones.

At the same time, the gap between senior and entry-level jobs is closing, and recently, a Gallup report found that only 28% of workers say now is a good time to find a quality job.

Our report found that nearly two-thirds of junior consultant applicants are now senior-level professionals, highlighting the mounting pressure applicants are facing in the job market and the shrinking job pool.

Furthermore, junior applicants face an increased barrier to entry into the consulting firm job market. When analyzing entry-level consultant roles for five senior skills, the average score was 1/5 – with some as high as 4/5 – demonstrating that most entry-level roles now require at least one senior skill.

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What does this mean for how consulting firms operate?

As consulting firms start adopting AI, they’re transitioning from a headcount-driven operating model to a model that automates the administrative work, streamlining processes where possible.

Firms must adapt to stay competitive or get left behind. While it’s important to take a balanced approach and not replace whole job roles, firms must start placing greater emphasis on upskilling junior talent and integrating AI tools that both boost productivity and serve a lasting objective, allowing teams to focus on the more strategic side of their role.

As boutique firms surpass larger firms, it increases pressure on founders who are often still the single point of contact for pricing, delivery, and reporting decisions – these are the people in particular who can benefit from introducing an automated operations platform or an intelligence-charged operations engine like CMap Intelligence.

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How can consulting firms use AI to streamline work processes?

The Digital Maturity Barometer highlights a clear need for AI regulation in the workplace and understanding how to harness AI to streamline workplace processes while still nurturing the next generation of talent.

Our recent Service Performance Insight research found that high performers report 35% lower revenue leakage and 24% less rework. Implementing automation can help reduce rework time and free up employees to focus on valuable client work.

The research also found that firms operate with high levels of project delivery concurrency, with project managers overseeing an average of 5.2 concurrent projects and consultants split across an average of 3.4 projects at a time, demonstrating how stretched teams can be. Utilizing an automated operating system can help reduce the workload and prevent burnout.

Optimizing project management: Implementing a project management system means team members can easily see tasks done and upcoming tasks. Keeping track of these tasks ensures businesses can align capacity with workload, helping prevent burnout.

Resource planning: Resourcing can match team members who are best suited for tasks and who are available, ensuring that all project deadlines are met and junior talent can be matched with mentoring opportunities.

Automating reporting: Leveraging reporting tools offers full visibility across projects and budgets and provides teams with an overview of live insights, so teams can make fast, proactive decisions.

Predicting project costs: By automating financial reporting, teams can easily see costs spent to date on projects and expected costs, allowing them to have a transparent overview of the financial pipeline, so businesses can adjust accordingly.

This is exactly the gap an operations platform is built to close. Rather than stitching together spreadsheets and point tools for each of these processes, CMap for consulting firms brings pipeline, resourcing, project financials, and reporting into one system, so firms get the efficiency gains of automation without losing the visibility that keeps growth under control.

Commenting on the findings, Jon Stead, CEO of CMap, said:

“Junior talent is facing increasing challenges in today’s job market. Rather than sidelining entry-level opportunities and focusing solely on boosting productivity and efficiency, companies should harness AI to upskill the workforce and assist with current workloads.

“Our report shows that traditional structures continue to be redefined and the job market is increasingly centred around AI. Now, nearly two-thirds of junior consultant applicants are senior professionals, and as the sector is fast to adopt AI, the landscape is changing fast. Young talent and the workforce must stay ahead, not only maintaining their skills but upskilling in an effort to level the playing field.

"For consultancies, AI is beginning to shift firms into a new era. The leverage model and exclusive reliance on human capital to scale won't be the driver of the next phase of industry growth. Over 15% of consultancy firms have now completely replaced some employee tasks with AI capability, and over 60% use AI to supplement and aid human delivery. Whilst many consultancies have pivoted to offer AI services to their clients, they have missed fundamental opportunities to leverage themselves as the second most exposed and adopters of AI in the US Market.”

Do you want to improve your oversight and efficiency in your business operations? Speak to a CMap expert today.

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Digital Maturity Report methodology

CMap researched 19 of the largest sectors using US Census data, which surveyed businesses' current and future AI usage, as well as the national average AI use across sectors. We categorized questions into three pillars: current usage, employee enhancement, and future use to give an overall AI adoption score.

Alongside this, we analysed 100 LinkedIn job listings for junior business analysts and consultants to gain the average number of senior and junior applicants, before calculating the ratio. We also looked at 50 boutique and mid-sized consulting firms and gathered employee headcount data from 2024-2026, before calculating year-on-year growth and the median year-on-year growth.