BrazilThe top consulting firms | employers to work for in Germany
New research released in Germany has revealed which consulting firms rank as the best employers in the country. Out of the hundreds of top consultancies – strategy, management and IT consultants – active in the country, an elite group of 31 can call themselves Germany’s best consulting firms to work for.
With a size of nearly €30 billion, Germany is Europe’s largest market for consulting services, according to the BDU. While the market is dominated by the largest players – the consulting arms of the Big Four, including EY-Parthenon (EY), Monitor Deloitte (Deloitte) and Strategy& (PwC), the ‘MBB’ (McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Company) and large German-origin consultancies such as Roland Berger, MHP and Simon-Kucher & Partners – the marketplace boasts a large variety of reputable firms that compete with the cream of the crop. The industry watchdog estimates that the country has around 15,500 consulting firms (excluding sole proprietaries), together employing over 130,000 employees, of which 110,000 are fee-earners (i.e. consultants).
Besides competing for projects from clients, these consulting firms also all compete for talent – with the very brightest of talent facing the luxury to choose where they would ideally land their next dream job. The question they pose themselves is: where should I go next? And: what are the best consulting firms to work for in Germany?
New analysis by BDU, the German association of management consulting firms, in collaboration with research institute Great Place to Work and Consulting.de, now provides one view on this question, following an exhaustive review of employership practices among Germany-based consultancy firms. The researchers conducted an independent review of consultancies’ HR policies and culture, and asked consultants and staff to rate their own employers. The survey had around 60 questions, on topics such as quality of leadership, personal recognition and appreciation, opportunities for participation, professional support and development, health promotion, work-life balance, employee loyalty, and the degree of trust, fairness and team spirit felt in the company’s culture.
Germany’s best consulting employers
A total of 31 consulting firms stood out from the crowd, demonstrating their ability to provide a great working environment to their employees, while providing them with the intellectual challenge and diversity that has drawn them to consulting. “Firms that have been awarded the Great Place to Work recognition are those that deal credibly, fairly and respectfully with their employees and structurally promote trust, pride and team spirit within their ranks,” said Andreas Schubert, Managing Director of Great Place to Work Germany.
Across the board, employees are more positive about the employership of consultancies compared to the average in Germany’s business landscape. Areas where consultancy firms lead the national average include: competent leadership (85% versus 56%), support for career development (80% versus 44%), recognition for good work (76% versus 36%) and enjoying work on a daily basis (86% versus 50%). In addition, 83% of the employees of the identified top consulting firms to work for are willing to recommend their own company as an employer, while the German average stands at 57%.
The best performing firms are Q-Perior (consulting firms with over 250 employees), Cofinpro (50-250 employees) and BBHT (10-49 employees). Highly commended firms include Profil M, Simcorp, Baringa Partners and Blueforte. An overview of the 31 consulting firms that rank as Germany’s top consultancies to work for:
AdEx Partners | Hamburg
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 79
ADLON Intelligent Solutions | Ravensburg
IT Consulting
Number of employees: 55
ADWEKO Consuling | Baden
IT Consulting
Number of employees: 92
Assure Consulting | Wehrheim
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 104
avantum consult | Düsseldorf
IT Consulting
Number of employees: 87
Baringa Partners | Düsseldorf
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 21
BBHT Beratungsgesellschaft | Münster
IT Consulting
Number of employees: 22
BGS Guagliardo & Schätzle Steuerberater | Elzach
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 19
Bittrich & Bittrich Steuerberatungsgesellschaft | Lüneburg
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 43
blueforte | Hamburg
IT Consulting
Number of employees: 34
Cintellic | Bonn
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 43
Cofinpro | Frankfurt am Main
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 140
confideon Unternehmensberatung | Berlin-Schöneberg
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 12
CPC Unternehmensmanagement | Frankfurt am Main
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 105
eilersconsulting | Düsseldorf
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 20
Greenlight Consulting | Munich
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 27
h & z Unternehmensberatung | Munich
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 90
HRpepper Management Consultants | Berlin
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 31
HSP STEUER (Henniges, Schulz & Partner)| Standort Hannover
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 27
INFA - Institute for Waste, Wastewater and Infrastructure Management | Ahlen
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 27
Kemény Boehme & Company | Munich
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 29
PRAXISFELD | Remscheid
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 15
Profile M | Wermelskirchen
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 71
Q_Perior | Berg
IT Consulting
Number of employees: 423
Reichenberger & Partner | Lingen
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 27
SimCorp | Bad Homburg
IT Consulting
Number of employees: 159
SQS Group Management Consulting | Unterföhring
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 18
tempus. | Giengen
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 29
Winkler Steuerberater | Aachen
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 14
WMS Treuhand | Osnabrück
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 174
WSS AKTIV BERATEN | Rottweil
Management Consulting
Number of employees: 49
Commenting on the recognition of listed consulting firms, Ralf Strehlau, President of the BDU, said he was proud of the industry, stating, “We are pleased that so many companies have been lauded, providing the industry with valuable lessons for further advancement and strengthening the visibility of our industry as an attractive employer.”
In another analysis of good employership, Glassdoor ranked Bain & Company as the best consulting firm to work for in Germany, a title which it also received in neighbouring country the Netherlands.
