2015 MBA Hiring Expected to Grow

Growth

As expected, improving performance and productivity (68 percent) tops the list of 2015 strategic business goals. After leaving no stone unturned over the last five years, employers are focusing more energy outward. Expanding the customer base ranked second among goals at 60 percent. And launching new products and improving customer service came in fourth and fifth at 44 and 37 percent, respectively. In other words, 2015 may be a great year for MBAs aspiring to work in marketing and business development. While reducing costs still rates among the top priorities at 44 percent, this number is actually down six points from the previous year.

Strategically, nearly two-thirds of respondents (64 percent) classified growth and expansion as their primary driver for 2015. Another 24 percent were focused on maintaining their current market position, with 11 percent snarled up in “overcoming challenges.”

These growth-driven organizations were particularly strong destinations for MBAs, with 74 percent planning to hire MBAs (and another 63 percent looking to add specialized business master’s graduates). Similarly, 74 percent of companies looking to hold market share also planned to hire MBAs (with 58 percent expecting to add specialized business master’s graduates to their rolls). Not surprisingly, MBA hiring is a luxury at struggling companies, with only 53 percent forecasted to hire MBAs. Overall, 68 percent of employees agreed that business school graduates were a priority in their companies’ hiring plans.

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MBAs A HOT ITEM FOR EMPLOYERS

Sure, popular culture caricatures MBAs as wonkish and conceited. But employers aren’t buying into it. Some 96 percent of employers agree that graduate business school hires “create value for their companies.” In fact, 48 percent of respondents “strongly agree” with this statement.

So what are these employers looking for in MBAs (and business master’s graduates in general)? Start with the ability to gather, understand, manipulate, and apply data. About 61 percent of respondents strongly agree that graduates must be able to use data to drive decisions. And that number jumps to 72 percent among employers expecting to hire MBAs.

Soft skills are another key, with 57 percent considering exception interpersonal skills to be paramount (with that percentage rising to 63 percent for prospective MBA employers).

A TRULY EXPANSIVE POLL

Overall, the poll was comprised of 58 percent American companies, with European and Asian companies encompassing another 23 and 11 percent, respectively. 60 percent of these firms had 1,000 or more employees, with another 20 percent ranging from 100-999 employees. 26 percent of employers were from the products and services industry, followed by consulting (19 percent), finance or accounting (18 percent), technology (14 percent), and manufacturing (9 percent).

DON’T MISS: THE MBA’s PERSONAL AND FINANCIAL REWARDS

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