MBA Graduates Set to Retain their Employer Appeal in 2015: MBA News

MBA graduates are set to remain the most sought-after hires from business schools in 2015, according to the results of a new poll, released by GMAC.

The end-of-year poll reports on the hiring intentions of 169 employers across 33 countries (of which 60% are based in the US), and aims to offer an early insight into how business school recruitment will pan out in 2015.

Of GMAC’s respondents, 96% agreed that hiring business school graduates creates value for their company and 90% of those looking to recruit from business schools in 2015 said they hoped to hire at the same rate or higher than that of 2014.

“Today, in a recovering global economy, management degrees can be a powerful driver of confidence and provide fuel for an individual’s career growth,” said Rebecca Estrada Worthington, survey research manager at GMAC, in a press release.

And, MBA graduates continue to be a preferential target, ahead of graduates of specialized master’s and MiM degrees – even if GMAC’s results suggest that demand for MiM graduates will experience the most growth in 2015.

MBAs remain most sought-after in GMAC poll

The 72% of respondents who said they expected to hire MBA graduates in 2015 made up the largest postgraduate bracket in the survey. This number stands ahead of the 61% who said they planned to take on at least one specialized business master’s degree graduate and the 41% looking to MiMs.

Of 2015’s anticipated MBA recruiters, 30% expected to take on more MBA graduates than last year, and 12% had not hired any MBAs in 2014.

The vast majority of GMAC’s respondents act on intention – 80% said they met or exceeded their hiring goals for recent MBA graduates in 2014.

If the 72% who indicate they intend to hire MBAs carried out their plans, it would represent a slight increase on the 69% who, in GMAC’s poll, said they had actually hired MBAs in 2014.

Majority of MBA recruiters to use internship programs

The MBA internship’s ‘try before you buy’ benefits - for both MBA recruiters and students – mean that we can also expect to see growth here in 2015, according to GMAC.

More than half of the poll’s respondents (55%) said they would offer internship opportunities to MBAs this year. While a third were looking towards an internship recruitment policy akin to that seen in 2014, 16% said they had plans to expand their company’s MBA internship program.

In terms of salary, 18% of GMAC’s prospective MBA recruiters said they expected to be able to offer salary rises above the rate of inflation for new hires this year. However, just over a third felt that salaries in 2015 would remain at 2014 levels. The remainder indicated that a rise in line with inflation was on the cards.

Finally, as might be expected from an employer’s perspective, twice as many companies showed a willingness to sponsor a candidate’s MBA on a part-time (36%), as opposed to full-time (18%), basis.

GMAC’s end-of-year poll precedes its larger, annual Corporate Recruiters Survey, set for release next month. The latest QS TopMBA Jobs & Salary Trends Report, which draws on the opinions of more than 5,000 MBA recruiters worldwide, was released in October 2014.