Positive 2014 Outlook For MBA Hiring & Pay

GMAC said the majority (88%) of employers said their firms will offer internships to students in 2014, most commonly to bachelor’s degree candidates (68%) and MBAs (61%). Although fewer employers plan to offer internships to candidates in master-level accounting, finance, or management programs compared with MBA candidates, the percentages are comparable to previous years’ results.

Percentage of Employers Expecting to Offer Internships in 2014

Source: GMAC 2013 year-end employer poll

Among the employers who plan to offer internships in 2014, most expect to offer as many or more internship spots than they did in 2013.

• 14% of employers plan to expand their internship program for MBA candidates in 2014 and 41 percent will maintain the number of MBA interns at 2013 levels.

• 22% of employers plan to increase the number of bachelor’s degree interns in 2014 compared with 2013 and 38% will maintain 2013 levels.

• Although few employers offer internships to other master-level program candidates, those that do are likely to offer as many or more internships in 2014, compared with 2013 offerings.

Asked for the first time in this 2013 year-end poll for their sentiments about hiring business school graduates, employers worldwide (96%) strongly agree or agree that these candidates create value for their companies and 68% strongly agree or agree that recruiting business school graduates is a priority in their hiring plans. In addition, the vast majority of employers, when considering business school talent, expect graduates to be able to use data to drive decisions and have exceptional interpersonal skills.

Employer Sentiment About Business School Graduates

 

Source: GMAC 2013 year-end employer poll