MBA Jobs in Asia Pacific Region

QS research released this week shows that employers in the Asia-Pacific region have increased their hiring of MBA graduates over the past year, and expect to increase hiring dramatically in the coming 12 months.

The QS TopMBA.com Jobs and Salary Trends Report, which surveys thousands of MBA employers around the world each year, reveals MBA hiring in the region increased by 15% during 2011/12, and is set to increase by a further 26% during 2012/13.

“MBA demand continues to expand in Asia as the qualification is embraced by employers, and particularly India and China, especially in consulting and professional services, manufacturing, IT/computer services and micro-finance,” explains Nunzio Quacquarelli, managing director of QS Quacquarelli Symonds and author of the report.

“This year’s survey results clearly reflect the emergence of a greater number of Asian companies seeking MBAs, representing over a quarter of total respondents.”

The report further clarifies that recruiters in the Asia-Pacific region are split according to where they prefer to hire their MBAs from. Some employers are willing to hire from local business schools at relatively low salary levels, while other Asian employers remain fully committed to hiring from top North American, European and Australian business schools.

Over the next decade however, Quacquarelli points out that it’s likely that the top business schools in Asia, the majority of which are far younger than their counterparts in the West, will be able to compete on a global scale.

The TopMBA.com report also looks into the average salary levels that MBA employers expect to pay their new MBA hires.

In the Asia-Pacific region, average compensation levels are reported to be almost US$79,000. This represents a jaw-dropping 20% increase in the past year.