CGC End-of-Year Insight 2025

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White-Collar Work in Financial Services & Consulting: A Clearer, More Positive Outlook for 2026

As we reach the end of another demanding year, many people in financial services and consulting are trying to make sense of the constant changes around them. Headlines about automation, restructuring and artificial intelligence can sometimes suggest that professional work is disappearing. Yet the evidence from the most respected research firms tells a very different story.

Across major global hubs New York, Boston, Miami, Texas, London, Paris, Zurich, Singapore, Dubai, Hong Kong and Sydney white-collar work is not collapsing. It is being reshaped. Jobs are moving, responsibilities are evolving, and skillsets are changing, but the overall picture is far more encouraging than the noise suggests.

1. A Market in Motion: Jobs Lost, Jobs Created, and Jobs Transformed

One of the strongest perspectives comes from McKinsey Global Institute, which tracks structural changes in employment across the United States and Europe. They report that the US saw 8.6 million occupational transitions between 2019 and 2022, with a further 12 million expected by 2030.

These are not simple job losses; they reflect a shift in the nature of work. Roles declining most sharply tend to be routine: administrative support, basic customer service and repetitive middle-office tasks.

Meanwhile, opportunities are increasing in areas such as:

• data and digital product leadership

• risk management and regulatory strategy

• legal and governance functions

• transformation and change

• technical and STEM roles

• senior leadership and oversight

As McKinsey put it:

“High-skill employment continues to rise, even as routine white-collar roles decline.”

This helps explain why markets such as New York, London, Singapore, Dubai and Sydney continue to hire senior specialists even when junior or transactional roles are trimmed.

2. The Technology Shift: Automation Is Changing Tasks, Not Replacing People

Gartner’s work provides a grounded view of automation and AI adoption. Their research shows that organisations combining automation, AI and process redesign may reduce operational costs by around 30%, often by improving accuracy and removing duplication.

Crucially, Gartner’s deeper findings emphasise:

• Automation replaces tasks, not entire roles.

• Efficiency gains come from reducing administrative burden.

• Demand is rising for oversight, interpretation and judgement.

• As firms adopt more technology, they invest more in experienced leadership.

A Gartner finance survey also notes that 58%of finance functions now use AI or machine-learning in at least one process up sharply from the year before.

This raises the strategic importance of skills related to:

• model governance

• data quality

• operational risk

• AI ethics

• digital product ownership

While some functions in operations, clerical work and basic research are diminishing, the surrounding ecosystem of higher-responsibility roles is expanding.

3. Human Expectations: Burnout, Stress and the Search for Better Work

Technology is not the only force reshaping the workforce. Mercer’s Global Talent Trends report highlights a growing human factor: burnout and financial stress.

Mercer reports that:

• 82% of employees globally are at risk of burnout.

• In Asia, 83% reported experiencing burnout in the past year.

• Employees lose approximately six working hours per month worrying about finances.

These pressures are particularly pronounced in professional and financial services, where intense workloads are common and market cycles unpredictable.

Burnout does not simply reduce productivity. It leads people to reconsider their long-term career direction, prompting many mid-career and senior professionals to become more open to movement. This is contributing to the increasing fluidity in talent pipelines across global hubs.

4. Confidence Amid Change: Workers Are More Mobile, Not More Fearful

PwC’s Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey shows an interesting paradox: although many feel overwhelmed by rapid technological change, a growing number are optimistic about their future.

Across 56,000 respondents in 50 countries:

• Workers believe change may bring new opportunities.

• Those who use AI daily are significantly more confident about skills and salary progression.

• In Singapore, 34% expect to change employer in the next year higher than during the “Great Resignation”.

This increased mobility benefits organisations that invest in leadership, capability and culture. It also opens the door to strategic senior hiring.

5. How Organisations Are Responding: From Productivity to Human Performance

Deloitte’s Human Capital Trends report illustrates how organisations are adapting to this shift. Many are moving away from narrow concepts of productivity and towards a broader focus on human performance.

Key themes include:

• a shift to skills-based work models

• deeper investment in leadership capability

• redesigning teams rather than merely upskilling individuals

• recognising that technology adoption often outpaces workflow redesign

In financial services and consulting, where professional judgement and trust are central, this alignment between human capability and digital tools is rapidly becoming a competitive advantage.

6. Organisational Structure: The Compression of Middle Management

Korn Ferry’s research highlights one of the most important structural developments: the flattening of organisations.

Their global survey of 15,000 professionals shows that many companies have removed one or more layers of middle management in recent years. This has created:

• fewer traditional mid-management roles

• a shortage of experienced team leaders

• increased responsibility at senior levels

• faster progression for those with leadership capability

Korn Ferry also found that 67% of employees would stay with their employer if given a clear development pathway even if they were dissatisfied with aspects of their role. This underscores the strategic value of career clarity and progression frameworks.

7. Hiring Trends: More Selective, More Strategic, Still Active

CIPD’s Labour Market Outlook provides additional insight into the UK and European markets. Their findings include:

• 17% of employers expect AI to reduce headcount over the next year.

• Reductions are concentrated in administrative, clerical and junior managerial roles.

• Overall employment expectations remain mildly positive, though more cautious than in previous years.

• Wage growth has stabilised at around 3%.

Michael Page’s Talent Trends reports, particularly from Asia, reinforce this. Professionals increasingly expect:

• clearer compensation frameworks

• flexibility

• transparent progression

• supportive leadership

This mirrors what CGC observes: although many firms are reducing general headcount, they continue to invest in senior and specialist appointments, particularly in roles tied to transformation, regulation, technology, governance and digital capability.

8. Looking Ahead to 2026: A More Balanced and Encouraging Landscape

Across the major global financial and consulting centres, a consistent pattern is emerging.

Roles experiencing the sharpest decline:

• administrative and clerical work

• processing and transactional tasks

• some middle-office functions

• basic research or analysis roles

• traditional layered middle management

Roles growing strongly:

• data science, analytics and digital leadership

• governance, audit, compliance and risk oversight

• AI model governance and technology ethics

• transformation, programme leadership and operational redesign

• wealth and asset management leadership

• sustainability, infrastructure and energy transition advisory

• senior and executive management, including Partner-level roles

This shows that work is not disappearing it is evolving. Many of these emerging roles are more intellectually engaging and more strategic than the roles declining.

The future of white-collar work centres on capabilities such as judgement, interpretation, communication, ethical decision-making, and the ability to lead people through complex change. Technology acts as an enabler, not a replacement.

A Positive Note to End the Year

As we close 2025, the evidence offers reassurance. The world of work continues to change, but the opportunities for skilled professionals, thoughtful leaders and experienced advisers remain strong.

In financial services and consulting, the most valued capabilities are still profoundly human.

At CGC, we see daily how organisations are seeking leaders who can bring clarity to complexity, create momentum and inspire confidence as they navigate transformation. These are not roles that automation can replace.

If you would like to discuss your 2026 leadership plans, explore insights for your sector or consider how to refine your talent strategy, CGC is here to support you across Europe, the USA, the Middle East and Asia.

What This Means for Employers in 2026

• Hire strategically, not broadly; focus on roles that drive transformation.

• Position your EVP around clarity, flexibility and development.

• Build teams that support human performance, not only productivity.

• Use AI to empower people, not replace them.

• Strengthen leadership benches early, especially in global hubs.

What This Means for Professionals in 2026

• Develop skills in AI literacy, governance, data interpretation and transformation.

• Seek employers that invest in your growth and well-being.

• Build leadership capability early—middle-management layers are thinner.

• Stay open to mobility; global markets are receptive to seasoned, adaptable talent.

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