Overview
- Major consultancies kept base pay for new hires flat for a third year, with 2026 offers at firms including McKinsey and BCG unchanged and Big Four entry salaries stagnant since 2022, reflecting tighter graduate hiring plans.
- Productivity gains from generative AI are shrinking demand for large junior analyst cohorts and pushing a shift away from the traditional pyramid model toward value-based, tool-enabled delivery that still requires expert oversight.
- Accenture is rolling out ChatGPT Enterprise to tens of thousands of employees across consulting, operations, and delivery, signaling enterprise-scale adoption that accelerates how advisory work is produced.
- The UAE reported 62% progress on the Sustainable Development Goals and is preparing its third Voluntary National Review for July 2026, with a priority on improving data quality and statistical capabilities.
- Abu Dhabi launched the Tahnoun bin Zayed AI Excellence Scholarship at MBZUAI to support about 350 undergraduates over six years, alongside broader investments from port expansion reach across 146 global terminals to Dubai school system growth targeting 15,000 students by 2033.