These Are The 5 “Hottest Jobs” for MBAs

The job market is hot for MBA grads right now.

78% of employers say they plan to hire MBA grads in 2019 – up 1% from 2018 figures, according to GMAC’s 2018 Year-End Employer Poll Report.

But what kind of jobs are the hottest right now? A recent US News report suggests companies are eagerly seeking out product managers and management consultants. Among other hot jobs for MBAs, according to US News, include medical and health services managers, financial managers, product marketing managers, and brand marketing managers.

Product Manger

Product managers are in charge of ensuring the success of a product.

According to Aha!, a product roadmap and marketing planning software company, the product manager position is an “important organizational role — especially in technology companies — that sets the strategy, roadmap, and feature definition for a product or product line.”

US News reports that roles, such as ‘senior product manager’ and ‘product manager,’ are some of the most in-demand job titles that require an MBA.

“Almost every industry is becoming a tech industry. To be able to bring technology to the market, you need people in those roles,” Janet Huang, managing director of MBA career management and employer relations at the University of Texas—Austin’s McCombs School of Business, tells US News.

Consultant

A consultant is responsible for helping companies improve efficiency and profitability in the face of new challenges.

Consulting has always been a popular path for many MBA grads. At Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business, consultants made up 30% of the class of 2018, according to US News.

“Consulting companies do well when the economy is booming,” Stephen Pidgeon, executive director of career services at Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business, tells US News. “They’re in a war for talent. One of the big ones made some eye-opening offers, and then the other companies did a round of matching it.”

Medical and Health Services Manager

Medical and health services managers “plan, direct, and coordinate medical and health services,” according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Bureau of Labor Statistic expects the job outlook for medical and health services managers to grow 20% by 2026, which is ‘much faster’ than the average growth for other roles.

“Health care is a massively growing piece of the U.S. and global economy, and accordingly it’s a big employer for MBAs,” Pidgeon tells US News. “Health care provider organizations need their skills now; it’s no longer doctors running things themselves. They have hardcore analytics and business functions.”

Financial Manager

Financial managers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, are responsible for the financial health of an organization.

Financial managers generally work with financial reports, investment activities, and strategies for meeting financial goals.

“You have to be able to translate finance into strategy,” Huang, of McCombs, tells US News. “You have to be able to influence the various business units and C-level executives on how they allocate dollars every year.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the job outlook for financial managers to grow 19%, ‘much faster than average,’ by 2026.

Product Marketing Manager and Brand Marketing Manager

Product marketing and brand marketing managers are in charge of generating interest in a company’s product or service and effectively conveying value of said product or service to customers.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the job outlook for these roles to grow 10%, ‘faster than average,’ by 2026.

Part of that growth, according to Pidgeon, is the rise of data in marketing.

“Any industry where analytics are becoming a differentiator, that’s where MBA skills are closely matching,” Pidgeon tells US News.

Sources: US News, GMAC, Aha!, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics