Swiss MBA Pay Highest in Europe

MBA graduates working in Switzerland enjoy the highest pay packages in Europe totalling almost US$140,000, new research reveals.

Second globally only after Australia, combined MBA graduate salary and bonus packages in Switzerland average US$139,400 per annum according to a TopMBA.com report.

Elsewhere in Europe, the UK reports the second highest average MBA compensation in Europe at US$107,600. Meanwhile, employers in France, Germany, Russia, Spain and Denmark all offer average MBA compensation in excess of US$90,000 per annum, on average.

Further promising news from the report is a 5% increase in MBA job availability in Western Europe over the past year, plus a projected increase by MBA employers of 2% for the coming 12 months.

The QS TopMBA.com Jobs and Salary Trends Report surveys thousands of MBA employers and recruiters around the world each year, publishing the findings alongside insightful analysis from industry experts.

Nunzio Quacquarelli, managing director of QS Quacquarelli Symonds and author of the report points to three dominating factors behind high MBA salaries in Switzerland.

“The strength of Swiss MBA salaries in 2012 can partly be explained by the predominance of financial service companies in Switzerland, which actively recruit MBAs, partly by the strengthening of the Swiss currency, and partly by many multinationals and hedge funds moving their headquarters from London and Frankfurt to Switzerland to reduce their tax bills, resulting in the need for significant hiring of MBA talent.”

As a result of the relocation of many organizations to Switzerland that Quacquarelli refers to, a strengthened need within Switzerland exists not only for local Swiss MBA graduates, but also internationally experienced MBAs that understand business practices in other European countries and regions.