Reporting on revenue growth rates for member firms, the MCA figures show UK consulting revenues for the latest quarter are up 8.7% on the year-ago period. More encouraging still, pure management consultancy (rather than outsourcing or IT systems development) is also up 7.0% on the year-ago period, confirming the consulting recovery has now spread throughout the industry to encompass pure strategy & business consulting.

The figures do reveal that pure strategy & business consulting experienced a hiccup at the beginning of the year, with growth stalling for a couple of months. This is seen as quite normal, however, as clients rarely commission strategic assignments in the run-up to Christmas and so January is often a quiet time for this sector. Overall, though, MCA member firms are reporting there has been a recent upturn in order volumes - and collectively they have a generally upbeat view of current business conditions. This upbeat view of the market mirrors the rising levels of recruitment activity within the sector, which Top-Consultant.com has commented on as a pronounced trend since the latter stages of 2004.

Commenting on the latest figures from the Management Consultancies Association, MCA President David Bailey said:

“This is a positive start to the year, with consultancy fee income continuing to increase, and confidence in business improving slightly this quarter. Financial Services is one of the hot sectors at the moment for the consultancy industry as regulatory topics such as Basel II provide work for members. As business confidence has returned, the consulting industry has seen clients focus more on the value that consultants can create for their business rather than the associated costs.”

Related link: View the latest career opportunities with UK-based consulting firms