Business School Hiring Report: Corporate Recruiters Survey 2019

Overview

This report presents trends in hiring and compensation for MBA and business master’s graduates based on responses received from 1,202 employers in 45 countries worldwide who work directly with participating business schools.

Quick Facts

• Adjusted for inflation, the median annual base starting salary US companies will offer new MBA hires in 2019 is the highest on record (US$115,000).
• Overall, 56 percent of responding companies plan to increase MBA starting salaries this year, a greater proportion than those that plan to increase starting salaries for bachelor’s and direct-from-industry new hires (48% each).
• MBA hiring projections for 2019 remain strong relative to historic trends, but for the second consecutive year a smaller proportion of companies overall report plans to hire MBA talent compared with the previous year.
• The majority of companies outside the United States plan to hire Master in Management (MiM) talent in 2019, including 69 percent of Asia-Pacific companies and 67 percent of European companies, though hiring projections have moderated compared with recent years.
• US companies’ international hiring plans are similar to last year, as 48 percent of US employers either plan to or are willing to hire international candidates in 2019, consistent with 2018 (48%) and down from 55 percent in 2017.