How Hard Do MBAs Work?

Across the globe, the structure of the “average” workweek for an MBA varies by culture, profession, gender and even government regulation.

For business school alumni, the “40-hour workweek,” standard in many industries and countries, is no longer part of the typical experience. On average, business school alumni work five days a week, nine hours per damy for a total of 48 hours a week, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC).

The typical workweek tends to differ by gender. On average, men work 49 hours compared with 46 hours of work for women per week, GMAC surveys show. A further examination of typical work hours revealed no differences by job level, and virtually no differences between men and women in the hours worked, whether at lower entry-level jobs or at higher senior and executive-level positions.

Contrary to reports that Americans work the longest hours, in the MBA population that isn’t necessarily so. Examining average work hours across world regions, GMAC found that business school alumni in several world regions put in more hours per week than North Americans. In Central Asia, for example, B-school alums are working three hours more per week than those in either the U.S. or Canada (see map below).

Source: Graduate Management Admission Council 2013 Alumni Perspectives Survey

 

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