Middle East Consulting Slowdown: Budget Cuts or Market Shift?

Question

Hello

I hope you're doing well.

I've heard there's been a slowdown in business activity in the Middle East, and that firms like Bain, McKinsey, and even some boutiques are freezing recruitment—or worse, letting people go. Do you know what's driving this trend? Could it be that Saudi Arabia is becoming more cautious with the budgets allocated to management consulting firms? And when do you think the situation might return to normal?

Kind regards

Answer 1

Hi there,

I believe it's part of the global slowdown in consulting hiring that we've been experiencing for a while now.

The Middle East was one of the few regions that were still hiring quite a lot, but indeed now it's seemingly slowing down here as well.

Unfortunately, there's not much that you can do about it. You can only validate with the recruiters whether they are still recruiting or not, and when they do, do your best to submit a successful. application.

Best,
Cristian

Answer 2

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your questions:

First of all, apart from perhaps a brief period during the COVID-19 pandemic, there has really never been a complete hiring freeze, in any region or country.
Moreover, I think several factors are at play, including a global economic slowdown and, more importantly, the normalization of consulting hiring after the craziness of 2021 and 2022.
Lastly, I would strongly advise you to focus on what you can control, which is perfecting your application files and securing strong referrals for your applications. Whether consulting firms are hiring more or fewer candidates is not that important if you are a strong candidate. Also, please keep in mind that waiting a full year in the hope that consulting hiring will be more intense a year from now is certainly not advisable.

You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare your application files, for your upcoming pre-interview assessments and/or interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen