Demand for MBAs among employees sees big jump: GMAC

Demand for MBA graduates has seen a jump, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC).

The 2015 Corporate Recruiters Survey, by GMAC, EFMD and the MBA Career Services & Employer Alliance, said about 84 per cent of companies worldwide plans to add new MBAs to their workforce — up from 74 per cent in 2014 and 62 per cent five years ago.

About 92 percent of the companies surveyed in the US plans to hire MBA graduates in 2015 — up from 80 per cent in 2014. The proportion of US companies, with plans to hire specialised business master’s candidates in 2015, was 12 to 16 percentage points higher than the share of companies that hired them in 2014.

“Employer demand for recent business school graduates, notably those skilled in data analytics, continues to increase as companies expect these new workers to use data to drive business decisions starting the moment they’re hired. Students of any undergraduate background would do well to consider taking a graduate management degree because of the contributions it can make to their career aspirations,” said Sangeet Chowfla, GMAC president and CEO.

Further, 75 per cent of Asia-Pacific companies (69 per cent in 2014) has plans to hire recent MBA graduates. A larger share of Latin American companies plan to hire MBA and master of finance graduates this year compared to the share that hired them last year. Seventy five per cent plan to hire MBAs (up from 69 per cent last year) and 61 per cent plan to master of finance graduates (up from 32 per cent last year).

“Students of any undergraduate background would do well to consider taking a graduate management degree”