Summary: McKinsey’s decision to increase entry-level hiring in North America by 12% for 2026 shows that the consulting pyramid is evolving, not disappearing.
AI shifts work, it doesn’t erase it
McKinsey has invested heavily in AI agents to handle the repetitive tasks that used to fall to juniors, slide drafting, data cleaning, note-taking. But automation doesn’t remove the need for human oversight.
The judgment to frame problems, spot faulty logic, and communicate with impact still rests on people. That’s where juniors develop fastest, provided they are coached well.
The real shift: AI compresses the apprenticeship cycle.
Juniors reach higher-value work sooner, which may make them fewer in number, but higher in impact.
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Contrarian confidence
While some competitors are scaling back their graduate pipelines (PwC UK being one high-profile example), McKinsey is signalling confidence in the long-term flywheel: hire, train, alumni, client.
The logic is simple. When markets turn, the firms that kept investing in junio talent will be the ones with the bench strength to deliver. Those that didn’t will be scrambling.
This isn’t just about today’s workload. It’s about shaping tomorrow’s partner class.
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A gap waiting to be filled
McKinsey’s own research shows that only 1% of companies consider themselves “mature” in AI adoption. That leaves a huge gap between ambition and execution.
Consultants who can bridge that gap, blending business judgment with tech fluency, are in demand.
Juniors who grew up with AI tools are often more fluent than mid-career consultants. Bringing them into the system now creates a cohort that can grow into the roles clients will need in three to five years.
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Career equity still starts early
The pyramid is thinner, but it isn’t gone. Consulting is still built on leverage and repetition, partners scale judgment through teams, and juniors build judgment through repeated problem-solving.
If the base disappears, so does the apprenticeship model. That’s why entry-level hiring remains central to long-term firm health, even if the tasks change.
Lets also shine a light on the hidden growth engine of consulting; alumni.
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Wider implications
For consulting firms: efficiency isn’t equity. AI may cut cost, but it doesn’t create succession. A thin pipeline today means a leadership gap tomorrow.
For candidates: breaking in is harder. Fewer seats, higher expectations. But those who do will progress faster, with earlier exposure to strategic work.
For the market: McKinsey’s move is a signal. While others hesitate, they are betting on growth through people, and that confidence matters to clients as much as capability.
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Takeaway
This isn’t nostalgia for the “old model.” It’s recognition that consulting is still a people business. AI accelerates delivery, but firms endure on trust, persuasion, and the judgment to know when the machine is wrong.
Football clubs don’t stop investing in youth academies when transfer fees rise.
Consulting works the same way.
The pipeline matters.
This post comments on:
Business Insider: McKinsey is doubling down on entry-level hires — even in the AI era
8-September 2025
Ben Appleton is the founder of Strat-Bridge, a specialist executive search partner to the strategy consulting industry. He works with global consulting firms and senior leaders across the UK, Germany, Switzerland, and beyond — helping them build capability at the Partner and Director level.
