‘Lack Of Skills, Creativity’ Main Obstacles In Global MBA Hiring Market

There is definitely plenty of good news for MBAs in the data. Of the respondents, the vast majority (87%) reported feeling either “very favorable” (47%) or “fairly favorable” (40%) towards business schools. Just 1% of respondents said they felt “fairly unfavorable” towards business schools.

Employers also reported being very pleased with MBA graduates as employees. Some 16% of respondents rated MBA graduates as “excellent” employees. Another 52% rated them as “very good” and a quarter (25%) said MBA graduates were “fairly good” employees. Only 2% rated MBAs as “fairly poor.”

The AMBA and BGA survey also asked employers if they agreed or disagreed MBA graduates had the relevant skills for three different areas. When asked if they thought MBA graduates had the relevant skills to thrive at their own organization, the most (50%) reported they tended to agree. Another 30% said they strongly agreed, 14% remained neutral, and just 4% said they tended to disagree.

Responses were similar when asked if MBAs had the relevant skills to make “a significant contribution to the wider economy in your country.” Again, the most (49%) said they tended to agree while 31% said they strongly agreed. Some 15% stayed neutral while 4% tended to disagree and 1% strongly disagreed. Interestingly, the numbers skewed more positive towards MBAs when asked if they had the relevant skills to become a “senior leader at a leading global business.” Most of the respondents (45%) strongly agreed and 40% tended to agree. Another 12% remained neutral and just 2% tended to disagree while 1% strongly disagreed.

MBA employers weren’t confident about the local and global economies when the survey was conducted. Nearly two-thirds (61%) of respondents reported feeling “not at all confident” or “not very confident” in the “global economy at the moment.” Respondents felt similar towards their own country’s economies as 60% reported feeling not at all confident or not very confident in their own country’s economy at the moment.

The upshot for future MBAs when considering a program? Make sure it’s accredited. Some 87% of respondents said accreditation of the MBA was very important or fairly important when recruiting MBAs in the future — more than any other category. Ranking and prestige of the B-schools is also a very or fairly important aspect of future MBA recruiting. While still fairly important, the country in which the MBA was completed, the format of the MBA, and the type of MBA were the least important aspects among MBA recruiters when looking to the future.

Overall, the data show the MBA continues to be a strong degree in the international market, even if there are some areas for improvement and some hesitation about the global markets.

“The results of this survey provide both good news and areas for improvement for Business Schools and their MBA graduates,” the report concluded. “Employers polled in the research are overwhelmingly positive about the value of an MBA from a reputable Business School when looking for senior managers.”

Read the complete AMBA & BGA study here.

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