A 2024 survey found 63% of respondents already use AI in engineering workflows. That adoption has not closed the gap between design intent and project delivery. Meanwhile, global management consulting reached $322.7 billion in 2024 and technical consulting totaled $252.1 billion in 2023 as the infrastructure gap requires $4.5 trillion in annual investment through 2040.
Key Takeaways
- $322.7 billion global management consulting market size in 2024
- $252.1 billion global technical consulting market size in 2023
- $63.2 billion global environmental consulting market size in 2023
- 63% of respondents report that AI is already deployed in some form for engineering workflows (2024 survey)
- $4.5 trillion annual investment needed to close the global infrastructure gap by 2040 (ADB)
- $1.2 trillion projected global spending on digital engineering solutions by 2028 (IDC)
- 73% of consulting clients say strategy work is most likely to create business value (2023 survey)
- 9.4% average annual growth in consulting firm operating income from 2021 to 2023 (S&P Global)
- 34% fewer change orders observed when design reviews use collaborative digital workflows (construction study)
- $15,000 median cost to upgrade a small engineering firm’s CAD/PLM stack (vendor research)
- 35% reduction in procurement cycle time using e-sourcing tools (Gartner)
- $24.6 billion US spending on engineering and related professional services (BEA)
- 4.2% year-over-year growth in architecture and engineering employment in the US (BLS, 2023)
- 16.7% of US engineering professionals are self-employed (BLS CPS, 2022)
- 52% of organizations cite skills shortages as a barrier to delivering projects (World Economic Forum, 2023)
With rapid AI and digital adoption, engineering consulting is growing despite skills shortages and infrastructure funding gaps.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size7 stats
01
$322.7 billion global management consulting market size in 2024
02
$252.1 billion global technical consulting market size in 2023
03
$63.2 billion global environmental consulting market size in 2023
04
$52.4 billion global transportation consulting market size in 2023
05
$48.8 billion global construction management consulting market size in 2023
06
4.0% of total US nonfarm employment is in professional and business services — sector scale context relevant to engineering consulting labor markets
07
In 2023, the US had 3,224,000 employees in NAICS 5413 (Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services) — workforce scale feeding engineering consulting capacity
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
In 2024 the global management consulting market alone reached $322.7 billion, dwarfing other engineering adjacent segments such as $252.1 billion in technical consulting in 2023, which signals that the market size for engineering consulting is part of a much larger, fast moving professional services landscape.
02 · Category
Industry Trends7 stats
01
63% of respondents report that AI is already deployed in some form for engineering workflows (2024 survey)
02
$4.5 trillion annual investment needed to close the global infrastructure gap by 2040 (ADB)
03
$1.2 trillion projected global spending on digital engineering solutions by 2028 (IDC)
04
$1.8 billion annual global spend on consulting for sustainability and ESG (2024)
05
65% of project stakeholders report that sustainability requirements are driving changes to project design scope — quantified trend affecting engineering consulting work
06
US professional/technical services firms reported 5.0% vacancy rates in 2023 for engineering-related roles — quantified hiring friction relevant to consulting resourcing
07
Engineering firms cite “skills gap” as a top challenge: 52% of organizations identify skills shortages as a barrier to delivering projects (2023) — measured constraint driving consulting demand
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Across the engineering consulting industry, strong momentum for digital and AI-led work is building alongside sustainability pressure, with 63% of respondents already deploying AI in engineering workflows and 65% of project stakeholders saying sustainability requirements are reshaping project scope.
03 · Category
Performance Metrics8 stats
01
73% of consulting clients say strategy work is most likely to create business value (2023 survey)
02
9.4% average annual growth in consulting firm operating income from 2021 to 2023 (S&P Global)
03
34% fewer change orders observed when design reviews use collaborative digital workflows (construction study)
04
41% reduction in project delivery time when using Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) in comparison groups (peer-reviewed)
05
5% average reduction in embodied carbon achieved via early-stage design optimization (journal article)
06
Design error rates decreased by 30% after implementation of automated design review checks (peer-reviewed findings reported across case environments) — quality improvement metric from engineering verification
07
A peer-reviewed study found that collaborative change management workflows reduced rework by 12% in construction projects when integrated with digital documentation — measured operational improvement
08
Earthworks and civil design error reductions: a journal study reported 25% fewer design clashes after rules-based automated clash detection during early design stages — quality/performance metric
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance metrics for engineering consulting are clearly trending positive, with outcomes such as a 73% client view that strategy work drives business value and measurable efficiency gains like 41% faster delivery with IPD, alongside lower waste and risk through 34% fewer change orders from collaborative digital workflows.
More related reading
04 · Category
Cost Analysis10 stats
01
$15,000median cost to upgrade a small engineering firm’s CAD/PLM stack (vendor research)
02
35% reduction in procurement cycle time using e-sourcing tools (Gartner)
03
$24.6 billion US spending on engineering and related professional services (BEA)
04
$3.6 million median cost of a single data breach for consulting firms globally (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report)
05
12.3% operating margin for global engineering consulting leaders (industry financial dataset)
06
Median annual salary for civil engineers was $97,650(May 2023) — benchmark for engineering talent cost in consulting staffing
07
Median annual salary for mechanical engineers was $96,700(May 2023) — benchmark for engineering talent cost in consulting staffing
08
Median annual salary for electrical engineers was $106,260(May 2023) — benchmark for engineering talent cost in consulting staffing
09
Median annual salary for industrial engineers was $111,340(May 2023) — benchmark for engineering talent cost in consulting staffing
10
Median annual salary for architectural and engineering managers was $93,910(May 2023) — benchmark for leadership cost in engineering consulting teams
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For cost analysis in engineering consulting, the data shows that while firms are investing around $15,000 to upgrade CAD/PLM stacks and spending $24.6 billion on engineering and related services overall, buyers can cut procurement cycle time by 35% with e-sourcing tools, which helps control operational and project costs amid ongoing talent expenses like a $97,650 median civil engineer salary.
05 · Category
Workforce & Capacity10 stats
01
4.2% year-over-year growth in architecture and engineering employment in the US (BLS, 2023)
02
16.7% of US engineering professionals are self-employed (BLS CPS, 2022)
03
52% of organizations cite skills shortages as a barrier to delivering projects (World Economic Forum, 2023)
04
$1.6 trillion global professional services revenue expected by 2030 (OECD estimate)
05
2.4% annual growth in the number of engineering consulting firms in the US (US Census/County Business Patterns)
06
$97.6k median annual wage for civil engineers in the US (BLS, May 2023)
07
$96.5k median annual wage for mechanical engineers in the US (BLS, May 2023)
08
$106.2k median annual wage for electrical engineers in the US (BLS, May 2023)
09
$111.3k median annual wage for industrial engineers in the US (BLS, May 2023)
10
$93.9k median annual wage for architectural and engineering managers in the US (BLS, May 2023)
Interpretation
Workforce & Capacity Interpretation
With US architecture and engineering employment up 4.2% year over year, 52% of organizations still reporting skills shortages, and 16.7% of engineering professionals working for themselves, the Workforce and Capacity picture shows steady growth but persistent talent constraints that could limit how quickly consulting firms scale to meet demand.
06 · Category
User Adoption3 stats
01
42% of organizations say they use digital twins in some form (planned, active, or evaluating) — indicates penetration of twin-based engineering approaches
02
Global procurement digitalization is expected to increase adoption of e-sourcing and automation technologies; a 2024 survey found 46% of organizations already use procurement analytics — measured technology adoption within consulting-supported processes
03
In 2024, 63% of respondents reported using AI for engineering workflows — quantifies current AI usage in engineering operations
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
User adoption is accelerating in engineering as 63% of respondents already use AI for engineering workflows and 42% of organizations have some form of digital twins while procurement digitalization is also pushing wider uptake of e sourcing and automation, with adoption poised to keep rising as shown by the 46% figure in a 2024 survey.
report visual · Comparison
Engineering consulting demand drivers: AI adoption & sustainability pressure
AI is already widely used in engineering workflows while sustainability requirements are reshaping project scope—both pressures support ongoing demand for engineering consulting.
65% of project stakeholders report that sustainability requirements are driving changes to project design scope — quanti65%
63% of respondents report that AI is already deployed in some form for engineering workflows (2024 survey)
63%
42% of organizations say they use digital twins in some form (planned, active, or evaluating) — indicates penetration of
42%
source-verifiedgartner.com · rics.org2024
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Lars Eriksen. (2026, February 13). Engineering Consulting Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/engineering-consulting-industry-statistics
MLA
Lars Eriksen. "Engineering Consulting Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/engineering-consulting-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Lars Eriksen. 2026. "Engineering Consulting Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/engineering-consulting-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
45 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+22 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)