mba jobs salary trends report 2015

QS TopMBA.com Jobs & Salary TrendsReport

Mansoor Iqbal (BA University of Leicester, MA University College London)Benjamin Clayton (BA University of Cambridge)

2015/16

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Introduction and Methodology

Since 1990, the QS Intelligence Unit, in col-

laboration with TopMBA.com, has conducted

an annual survey of MBA employers world-

wide to determine trends in international

salaries and recruitment. QS is proud to

produce the longest-established, geograph-

ically-broadest and most-comprehensive

global review of MBA jobs and salary trends.

The survey is targeted at those with respon-

sibility for MBA recruiting in their respec-

tive companies. We ask them to tell us

about current and future levels of hiring

and remuneration, and use this to map out

global, regional and industry trends.

The 2015 QS Employer Survey is as exten-

sive as ever and presents an unrivalled

overview of the world MBA recruitment

market. For the purpose of this report,

responses were received from 3,952 com-

panies in 88 countries.

Mansoor Iqbal

(BA University of Leicester,

MA University College London)

Mansoor is the author of the report and the

editor of TopMBA.com. He is a higher and

business education specialist with a back-

ground in consumer journalism, and has

worked at QS since 2011. Mansoor studied

English literature at both BA and MA level.

Benjamin Clayton

(BA University of Cambridge)

Benjamin is an analyst with the QS Intelli-

gence Unit, where he focuses on business

schools, MBAs, and the development of the

English language as a method of instruc-

tion. He holds a BA in politics, sociology and

international relations.

Contributors

https://www.facebook.com/topmba

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+topmba/posts

https://www.linkedin.com/grp/home?gid=96906&sort=POPULAR&trkInfo=&trk=tyah

https://twitter.com/topmba

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Contents

Introduction and Methodology 20. Fast Facts 41. Global Trends in MBA Jobs and Salaries 61.1 Growth in MBA jobs by region 61.2 Top 20 countries for MBA demand 81.3 Compensation by region 91.4 Growth in MBA jobs by industry 111.5 Salaries by industry (US & Canada and Western Europe) 132. Long-Term Trends in MBA Jobs and Salaries 152.1 Index of long-term hiring trends 152.2 Long-term trends in MBA salary levels 162.3 Long-term trends in functional roles 17

3. US & Canada 183.1 MBA hiring trends 183.2 Which regions do employers from the US & Canada look to when hiring

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3.3 Salary trends 203.4 Top salaries by school 214. Western Europe 224.1 MBA hiring trends 224.2 Which regions do employers from Western Europe look to when hiring?

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4.3 Salary trends 244.4 Top salaries by school 255. Asia-Pacific 265.1 MBA hiring trends 265.2 Which regions do employers from Asia-Pacific look to when hiring?

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5.3 Salary trends 275.4 Top salaries by school 29

6. Eastern Europe 306.1 MBA hiring trends 306.2 Which regions do employers from Eastern Europe look to when hiring?

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6.3 Salary trends 317. Latin America 337.1 MBA hiring trends 337.2 Which regions do employers from Latin America look to when hiring?

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7.3 Salary trends 347.4 Top salaries by school 358. Middle East & Africa 368.1 MBA hiring trends 368.2 Which regions do employers from the Middle East & Africa look to when hiring?

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8.3 Salary trends 378.4 Top salaries by school 38

9. What Employers Look For 399.1 Desired skills vs. satisfaction 399.2 Preferred years of work experience among employers 2011-2015 419.3 Functional roles offered 4210. Who Responded to the QS Employer Survey? 4310.1 Regional breakdown of MBA employer respondents 4310.2 Employer response by size 2015 4310.3 Employer response by industry 2013-2015 4310.4 Sample of responding employers by region 2015 44





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1. Global Trends in MBA Jobs and Salaries

ð 14% growth in MBA jobs globally.

ð US and India remain world’s biggest

markets for MBA jobs.

ð Growth in nearly every industry

outstrips predictions.

ð Mixed results in terms of compensa-

tion levels, with some regions far-

ing better than others.

2. Long-Term Trends in MBA

Jobs and Salaries

ð Industry & non-professional services

sector growing rapidly.

ð Slow recovery towards pre-recession

peak for MBA salary levels in the US &

Canada and Western Europe.

3. US & Canada

ð Stellar year for the world’s

most mature market, with 26%

growth in opportunities.

ð Employers in the region becoming more

global in their hiring outlook.

4. Western Europe

ð A good year, with 9% growth in jobs

significantly exceeding expectations.

ð Growth driven by technology

and industry & non-profes-

sional services sectors.

5. Asia-Pacific

ð Rapid growth shows no signs of abating,

with an 18% rise in opportunities.

ð India and China the engine rooms

of growth, with the jobs mar-

ket in the latter showing signs of

increasing maturity.

0. Fast Facts





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6. Eastern Europe

ð A slower year for the region, with only

4% growth reported, though 2015/16

expected to be a much stronger year.

ð A bad year for Russia with reduced

salary offers compounding

reduced opportunities.

7. Latin America

ð Not a good year for Latin American

MBA employers, who report only 1%

growth; better expected in 2015/16.

ð Brazil has experienced a slow-

down, while Mexico and Peru have

seen healthy growth.

8. Middle East & Africa

ð Growth is slower than anticipated

at 8%, with a further slowdown

predicted next year.

ð Employers in the region are the

world’s most outward looking.

9. What Employers Look For

ð Soft skills are an area for concern,

with a clear disparity between

employers’ expectations and

satisfaction levels.

ð There is a long-term trend towards

hiring more-experienced candidates.





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1. Global Trends in MBA Jobs & Salaries

8%

9%

18%

26%4%

1%

1.1 Growth in MBA jobs by region

Region 2014/2015 (forecast) 2014/2015 (actual) 2015/2016 (forecast)

Asia-Pacific 8% 18% 13%

Eastern Europe 5% 4% 17%

Latin America 8% 1% 14%

Middle East & Africa 12% 8% 3%

US & Canada 9% 26% 14%

Western Europe 3% 9% 2%

Global 14% 11%

Growth in Western Europe – a region for

which tumult seems to have become the

norm – will also make for welcome reading.

For the first time in a good number of years,

the world’s two most mature MBA markets

seem to be in rude health – an indicator of

the resilience of the MBA degree.

Recent years, however, have shown us that

the MBA has become a truly global quali-

fication, best demonstrated by its aston-

ishing rise in Asia-Pacific. Indeed, during

times of slow growth in the US & Canada

and in Western Europe, it has been noth-

ing less than strident in the eastern power-

The most eye-catching figure in this year’s report is the 26% growth in MBA jobs in the US &

Canada – a stunning recovery in a region which has experienced sluggish progress in the years

following the Great Recession. As recently as 2012/13, the region’s growth figure was as low as 2%,

so this represents an amazing turnaround which, as we can see, far exceeds expectations.





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houses across the Asia-Pacific region – the engine

room of growth in MBA hiring in recent years.

The surprise this year is that while we expected

a leveling out as Asia-Pacific’s markets grow

ever more mature, the appetites of the region’s

employers for MBAs have shown no signs of dull-

ing, with yet another year of remarkable growth.

Unfortunately, growth has not exceeded expec-

tations universally. It has been a particularly hard

year for MBA employers in Latin America, while

Eastern Europe has fared little better. In both

regions, however, employers are optimistic that

this time next year, we will have more positive

findings to discuss.

While opportunities in the Middle East & Africa

have not quite grown to last year’s high expec-

tations, 8% is a considerable improvement on

2013/14’s growth of 2%. After a few years of

overoptimistic predictions, however, it does seem

like employers have cooled their expectations

for 2015/16 in the youngest of MBA markets. The

current level of hiring, it seems, is perhaps suffi-

cient for the region’s needs.

26% growth in MBA jobs in the US & Canada

– a stunning recovery in a region which has experienced sluggish progress in the years following the Great Recession.





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1.2 Top 20 countries for MBA demand1UNITED STATES

2INDIA

3BRAZIL

4UAE

5CANADA

6SINGAPORE

7SOUTH KOREA

8CHINA

9PERU

10MEXICO

11SAUDI ARABIA

12ITALY

13JAPAN

14RUSSIA

15EGYPT

16SPAIN

17GERMANY

18UK

19PAKISTAN

20KAZAKHSTAN

N

The US, as one might expect of the MBA’s birthplace and

the world’s largest economy, leads the way in the terms

of its sheer volume of MBA jobs. India’s presence in sec-

ond place is testament to the regard in which the degree

is held in the South Asian nation (Pakistan’s presence in

this list can be read along the same lines), while the other

three BRIC countries are also present. Naturally, the rapid

growth these nations have experienced calls for the busi-

ness expertise that MBAs can bring to the collective table.

Elsewhere, we see traditional big hitters in MBA hiring

assuming their positions in the table: the likes of Japan,

South Korea and Singapore in Asia-Pacific; the UK, Ger-

many, Spain and Italy in Europe, and Canada and Mexico

in the Americas. Oil-rich Middle Eastern nations, Saudi

Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also offer plentiful

opportunities for MBAs.

Egypt and Peru might be the more surprising inclusions

here. Egypt, however, has enjoyed a surge of MBA hiring

over the past year driven by the financial services sec-

tor, while Peru has been something of stronghold in MBA

hiring for the past few years after enjoying a period of

rapid economic growth.





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1.2 Top 20 countries for MBA demand

MBA salary and bonus levels by region (total compensation)

1.3 Compensation by region

MBA salary levels by region

MBA bonus levels by region

Region 2013 2014 2015% Change

(13-14)% Change

(14-15)

US & Canada $112,700 $128,600 $123,400 +14% -4%

Latin America $76,800 $71,400 $54,500 -7% -24%

Western Europe $109,000 $112,600 $111,100 +3% -1%

Eastern Europe $69,500 $72,700 $62,300 +5% -14%

Middle East & Africa $81,900 $70,300 $81,000 -14% +15%

Asia-Pacific $88,800 $86,000 $95,200 -3% +11%


(13-14)% Change

(14-15)

US & Canada $90,000 $97,700 $97,300 +9% -0.40%

Latin America $58,900 $55,500 $46,200 -6% -17%

Western Europe $88,800 $90,600 $91,300 +2% +1%

Eastern Europe $61,700 $54,900 $53,000 -11% -3%

Middle East & Africa $65,300 $57,700 $68,700 -12% +19%

Asia-Pacific $68,300 $68,000 $69,200 -0.40% +2%


(13-14)% Change

(14-15)

US & Canada $22,700 $30,900 $26,100 +36% -16%

Latin America $17,900 $15,900 $8,300 -11% -48%

Western Europe $20,200 $22,000 $19,800 +9% -10%

Eastern Europe $7,800 $17,800 $9,200 +128% -48%

Middle East & Africa $16,600 $12,600 $12,300 -24% -2%

Asia-Pacific $20,500 $18,000 $26,000 -12% +44%

Sadly, it cannot always be the case that

we see unbroken upward trajectories

across the board. So it is with the MBA

compensation levels reported this year,

which in most cases have declined a

little. In the US & Canada as well as in

Western Europe the declines have been

small, and also seem to be tied largely

to bonus levels. Indeed, in terms of

salary alone, we actually see a marginal

increase in Western Europe. In both

cases, the decline is also only a one-

year trend, and indeed, the packages

on offer are most certainly generous

(particularly, as you will read later, if

one attends a top school).

*all figures are in US dollars, US$





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Latin America and Eastern Europe have been hit a little harder. In both cases, salary lev-

els stand slightly below their figures in 2013. In the case of the latter, this can again be

explained largely by declining bonus levels – the region’s decline in salary levels is far less

pronounced. Indeed, it seems a huge increase in bonus levels in 2014 renders the figures

from that year as something of an outlier, so we need to take this with a pinch of salt. There is

no such qualification to be made in Latin America, which has traditionally been the region in

which salary levels on offer have been among the lowest in the world; 2014/15 has clearly

been a challenging year for the region’s employers.

Country of Employer Average Salary Average Bonus Total

1. New Zealand $145,000 $10,000 $155,000

2. Switzerland $131,100 $21,400 $152,500

3. Australia $124,800 $27,100 $151,900

4. United States $103,300 $22,400 $125,700

5. United Kingdom $98,500 $22,600 $121,100

6. Singapore $95,600 $46,700 $142,300

7. Spain $93,100 $15,400 $108,500

8. Canada $92,800 $26,800 $119,600

9. Ireland $89,400 $15,700 $105,100

10. Germany $79,700 $8,900 $88,600

Top 10 countries for MBA salary

The Asia-Pacific growth story continues unabated and the region’s potential is demonstrably far from exhausted.

Asia-Pacific has remained relatively consistent in terms of salary levels, though improved

bonuses in 2014/15 have seen total compensation packages improve. It is certainly positive

that despite the huge surge in the MBA hiring, employers are still eager to pay a premium for

MBA talent. The Asia-Pacific growth story continues unabated and the region’s potential is

demonstrably far from exhausted. Salaries in the Middle East & Africa have recovered after

a small dip last year – this is perhaps the region in which one can expect the greatest degree

of volatility, given the relatively small pool of employers.





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1.4 Growth in MBA jobs by industry

Share: MBA jobs by industry 2015

Media / Entertainment & Arts

Electronics / High Technology

Telecoms

Consulting / Professional Services

Financial Services / Banking

Pharma/Biotech & Healthcare

a.b.

c. d. e.

f.

g.

h.

m. l.

n.o.

p.

q.

r.

s.

k.

t.u.

v.

j.

i.

Aerospace / DefenseShare MBA jobs: 0.3%2014-15 forecast: 0%2014-15 growth: 8%2015-16 growth forecast: -3%

a.

Construction / Propertyb.

c.

Consumer Goodsd.

Educatione.

f.

Energyg.

h.

IT / Computer Servicesi.

Lawj.

Manfacturing / Engineeringk.

l.

Metals / Miningm.

n.

Public Sector/Govt./Nonprofito.

Recruitment / HR servicesp.

Retailq.

r.

Transportation/Distributions.

Travel/Leisure/Hospitalityt.

Utilitiesu.

Otherv.

Share MBA jobs: 4.1%2014-15 forecast: 10%2014-15 growth: 46%2015-16 growth forecast: 14%








Share MBA jobs: 7%2014-15 forecast: 13%2014-15 growth: 22%2015-16 growth forecast: 4%





Share MBA jobs: 1.7%2014-15 forecast: 8%2014-15 growth: 16%2015-16 growth forecast: -4%





Share MBA jobs: 1.4%2014-15 forecast: -3%2014-15 growth: 14%2015-16 growth forecast: 26%

Share MBA jobs: 6.3%2014-15 forecast: 1%2014-15 growth: -10%2015-16 growth forecast: 31%

Share MBA jobs: 7.4%2014-15 forecast: -2014-15 growth: 12%2015-16 growth forecast: 13%





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Growth, however, is not limited to smaller MBA

job sectors. As a consequence of some of the

astounding growth we see elsewhere, con-

sulting/professional services accounts for a

smaller percentage of the worldwide market’s

total than in previous years, yet this year’s

growth of 24% signals that the sector is in

confident shape. In the competitive and entre-

preneurial age in which we live, it seems there

is a great call for external business expertise.

We’ve also seen confident growth of 9% in the

financial services industry.

Breaking down MBA job growth by industry shows just how good a year it’s been for MBA hir-

ing. With only two exceptions, we see growth that has outstripped our predictions – often by

quite some distance. Many of the biggest figures come from smaller sectors – consumer goods

and construction/property, for example. This demonstrates the growing diversity of the degree,

with organizations in more and more sectors looking to leverage those with the business exper-

tise afforded by MBA study. QS’s annual research into prospective MBA students shows a con-

comitant rise in the diversity of the applicant pool to match this. One of the biggest surprises

among these rises comes from the pharmaceuticals/biotech & healthcare industry, which has

experienced a slowdown in recent years to the extent where we anticipated no growth this year.

Instead, we see a very healthy 17% increase, with a similar increase predicted for next year.





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Industry SectorAverage Salary

Average Bonus Total

Aerospace / Defense $94,000 $25,000 $119,000

Construction / Property $92,400 $28,200 $120,700

Consulting / Professional Services

$87,400 $19,500 $106,900

Consumer Goods $67,100 $22,400 $89,400

Education $83,300 $19,000 $102,300

Electronics / High Technology

$89,900 $18,900 $108,800

Energy $80,000 $20,000 $100,000


$99,000 $30,600 $129,500

IT / Computer Services $89,600 $32,300 $121,900

Law $165,000 $25,000 $190,000

Manufacturing / Engineering $94,400 $14,100 $108,500

Industry SectorAverage Salary

Average Bonus Total

Media / Entertainment & Arts

$66,000 $6,000 $72,100

Metals / Mining $86,100 $31,400 $117,500

Pharma / Biotech & Healthcare

$97,800 $22,000 $119,800

Public Sector / Govt. / Nonprofit

$95,700 $15,500 $111,200

Recruitment / HR Services $81,100 $23,700 $104,800

Retail $83,100 $50,000 $133,100

Telecoms $50,300 $8,400 $58,700

Transportation / Distribution $91,300 $12,100 $103,400

Travel / Leisure / Hospitality $87,000 $8,500 $95,400

Utilities $83,700 $11,000 $94,700

Other $92,600 $15,000 $107,700

1.5 Salaries by industry (US & Canada and Western Europe)





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For our consideration of MBA salaries by

industry, we limit ourselves to the mature

MBA markets of the US & Canada and

Western Europe. These figures should

make for happy reading, with total com-

pensation comfortably into six figures

across the vast majority of industries.

Smaller sectors when it comes to MBA

jobs, such as law, aerospace/defense,

metals/mining and retail tend to throw up

high figures as a result of both the niche,

specialized knowledge required as well

as the innate lucrativeness of the indus-

tries in question. In addition, there is the

smaller sample size to consider here –

simply put, these are sectors which very

few MBAs will be targeting.

In terms of the more mainstream MBA

professions, while pay packages have

never been anything short of generous in

the sector, it has been a stellar year for a

resurgent financial services industry, and

only the outliers are rivaling the pay pack-

ages it currently offers. Confidence and

returns are on the up.

Consulting has remained fairly level; as

evidenced by the strong growth in jobs

witnessed by the sector, it is a diversify-

ing space in which the big names (which

offer the highest salaries) are no longer

the only players in town. The presence

of smaller ‘boutique’ firms must be taken

into account when considering the over-

all average figure – though this year’s

number could hardly leave many with

cause for complaint.

The IT/computer services and the elec-

tronics/high tech sectors, between which

there is much overlap, also offer com-

pensation packages at which few would

baulk, with the former not too far behind

financial services and the latter a touch

ahead of consulting. The closeness of

these figures can be taken as further tes-

tament, should it be required, of the tech-

nology sector’s status as the third major

player in MBA hiring.





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2.1 Index of long-term hiring trends

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TechnologyFinanceConsultingIndustry

2. Long-Term Trends in MBA Jobs and Salaries

This graph maps out long-term trends in MBA hiring, looking at finance, consulting, technology and

industry, to see how they have compared over the past 25 years in terms of growth, relative to pre-

vious years. For these purposes we have grouped together aerospace/defense, electronics/high tech-

nology, IT/computer services and telecoms as ‘technology’ and everything else under ‘industry’.

One of the most eye-catching trends here

is the rise of the last category. In 2013 it

pulled into the lead, and we anticipate this

lead to grow further in the years to come,

while growth levels in other sectors ought

to remain relatively stable. This points, once

more, to the diversity of MBA skills (and

indeed, among those taking the degree).

With sustained competitive advantage

becoming ever more elusive across indus-

tries, the expertise of MBAs is demanded by

an increasingly diverse range of employers.

All four of our groupings have enjoyed

steady upward curves in recent years and

over the larger scale of this exercise, albeit

with slight hiccups here and there – for

example, the bursting of the dotcom bub-

ble had a negative effect just over a decade

ago though, more recently, the Great Reces-

sion did not cause as much damage outside

of the finance sector.

Average growth since 1990 has stood at

around 15%. We expect this to slow to a

more sustainable level in years to come.

With the impressive growth figures being

reported this year, however, it would also

be wrong to rule out a continuation of

this strident average.





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$60,000

$80,000

$100,000

20152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999

2.2 Long-term trends in MBA salary levels

To map out longer-term trends in

MBA salaries, we once again restricted

our focus to the US & Canada and Western

Europe, the two most mature markets for MBA hiring.

This year’s figure is up very slightly on 2014’s – though, perhaps

it would be more accurate to label this as stability rather than growth.

It not the highest figure we’ve ever reported – that came in 2008. It is, however,

an astounding 28% higher than the levels seen in 1999.

As you can see, there have been dips as

well as rises over the 17-year period we

are taking into consideration here. The

dotcom crash saw lower salaries offered

in 2002 and 2003 than in the preceding or

following years, and a steady upward tra-

jectory was interrupted in 2009 and 2010

for reasons we hardly need to spell out

here. We have seen a few fluctuations here

and there in the years thereafter, but it

seems that since 2013 we have returned to

a steady upward curve; this is now the first

time we’ve been able to look back at two

consecutive years of growth since 2008.

YearAverage MBA

Salary ($)

1999 $73,8002000 $78,1502001 $82,2502002 $73,9002003 $75,2002004 $83,2502005 $85,0002006 $89,5502007 $93,2502008 $95,2502009 $91,5002010 $89,6502011 $92,7002012 $91,4002013 $90,9302014 $94,1302015 $94,260





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2.3 Long-term trends in functional roles

Role 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Consultant 39% 37% 37% 34% 34%

E-Commerce 10% 8% 9% 10% 10%

Finance - Advisory 29% 26% 28% 22% 23%

Finance - Other 39% 33% 44% 36% 42%

General Management 43% 41% 44% 36% 37%

IT / Technology 26% 24% 21% 25% 20%

Marketing 44% 41% 36% 38% 38%

Operations / Manufacturing 23% 24% 24% 23% 23%

Other Roles 11% 10% 34% 30% 6%

Sales / Business Development 40% 42% 46% 44% 28%

Strategic Planning 42% 40% 19% 17% 44%

Supply Chain / Logistics 23% 25% 9% 7% 18%

While much of the discussion around MBA hiring trends revolves around industries, it is also

important to take functional roles into account; function being, of course, one of the three main

forms that an MBA-enabled career change can assume.

Over the five years in our sample, it has

been into finance roles – split between

advisory and other – which most compa-

nies hire MBAs, as one might expect. Con-

sultants and marketers are also consist-

ently in high demand.

It should be noted that companies may

choose multiple options for this part of our

survey, given that they may have diverse

requirements to be met by MBA talent. This

also means, however, that this is exercise

is somewhat open to volatility, given the

ever-shifting requirements of each com-

pany as well as the general mutability of

the business landscape.

We see this evidenced in the demand for

supply chain/logistics professionals, which

declined massively in 2013 and 2014, pre-

sumably after most companies had already

found who they were looking for at a point

in time when the spotlight really began to

shine on supply chain management. This

year, however, has seen a resurgence of

hiring into supply chain and logistics roles

– perhaps simply due to inevitable need to

renew talent after some years.

The years 2013 and 2014 also saw a decline

in companies looking for strategic planning

professionals, which this year leapt back to

its position as the number one functional

role offered to MBAs by employers, if we

separate the two finance functions. It may

be that after a couple of years of relative

stability we are returning to a more com-

plex, unpredictable business (and wider)

landscape. Who better to navigate such a

terrain than an MBA?





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2014/15 (Forecast)

2014/15 (Actual)

2015/16 (Forecast)

26%

10%

14%

3. US & Canada

3.1 MBA hiring trends

Consulting 26%

Finance 17%

Technology & Telecommunications 29%

Industry & Non-Professional Services 6%

Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare 36%

The 26% growth in new MBA job opportunities

in the US & Canada is surely the headline story

of this year’s QS TopMBA.com Jobs & Salary

Trends Report, far in excess of the 10% growth

we anticipated. Recovery has been slow since the

banking crisis of nearly a decade ago, but with the

US economy proving increasingly muscular (after

weathering the storm rather well, however, things

look less positive for Canada’s economy at the

time of writing) it seems things are looking much

better for MBA employers.

Growth is spread over a range of industries. The

technology sector is the fastest growing of the

groupings we employ. US tech companies now

represent some of the world’s most ubiquitous

brands – both in the business world and the

household. Their appetite for global domination

continues, and with that comes an appetite for

MBA talent. We anticipate this to continue next

year, albeit at a slightly more sustainable rate. It’s

not just the US which has seen growth though; the

Canadian telecoms and consulting

industries in particular have been

strong drivers of growth in MBA jobs.

The US financial services sector

seems to be in confident shape, and

like Canada, the nation has enjoyed

a surge in consulting hiring which we

expect to continue into next year (in

both nations). The rapid increase in

hiring in the pharmaceuticals space

in both nations marks an impressive

recovery for this sleeping giant of an

industry in terms of MBA jobs.





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3.2 Which regions do employers from the US & Canada look to when hiring?

Geographical scope of hiring

100

50

0

We have seen a significant shift in terms

of the geographical extent of employers

in the US & Canada this year. A notably

larger proportion of employers are hiring

on a global scale this year as compared to

previous years, while the proportion of

those hiring on a national scale has fallen.

This does not mean that North American

employers are no longer looking to US or

Canadian talent. Indeed, no other region

reports as high a percentage of employers

looking to their own region for new hires.

These same employers, however, also seem

to be looking further afield – obviously with

a view to expanding globally. With growing

middle classes around the world - as well

as nations in which relative affluence is

the norm - hungry for technology, the

globalization of the supply chain, and

international financial markets remaining

volatile and complex, there is great demand

for internationally-savvy MBAs.

US & Canada

Latin America

Western Europe

Eastern Europe

Middle East & Africa

Asia-Pacific

US & Canada 99% 22% 35% 24% 19% 32%

2014 2015

Global 19% Global 38%

Local 13% Local 20%

National 63% National 32%

Regional 5% Regional 10%





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These graduates may well come from within

the region, but employers can also see the

benefits in looking further afield. Western

Europe and Asia-Pacific are the most favored

regions – unsurprisingly given the former’s

established powerhouse status and the

latter’s rapid ascent to the same. Insight

into these markets, therefore, is crucial for

businesses with global aspirations. They

are also the regions (particularly Western

Europe) which boast the strongest business

schools outside of North America.

3.3 Salary trends

Salary trends in the US & Canada are

positive this year, with both nations seeing

an increase in compensation (these figures

pertain to employers based in the region as

opposed to the figures in section 1.3 which

also include those hiring in the region who

are not be based there). Stronger than

expected growth, as the US continues to

recover and strengthen, will have played

its part, with the financial services sector

looking tougher, though obviously still

susceptible to global unpredictability. The

vitality and global dominance of innovative

US MBA employers in the tech space on the

other hand looks like something in which

the nation can remain confident (as much as

one can be confident of anything in this age

of peaks and troughs). In Canada, despite

economic difficulties, it seems that MBA

hiring is in fairly robust shape; resultantly,

so are the salaries on offer.

US & Canada Average Salary Average BonusYear on Year

Trend

Canada $92,800 $26,800 Increase

United States $103,300 $22,400 Increase

By Region $99,300 $24,000





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3.4 Top salaries by school

School StateAverage Salary,

Class of 2014 (US$)

Stanford Graduate School of Business California $129,600

Harvard Business School Massachusetts $125,000

University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) Pennsylvania $123,400

University of California, Berkeley (Haas) California $121,800

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan) Massachusetts $121,300

University of Chicago (Booth) Illinois $120,000

Northwestern University (Kellogg) Illinois $119,200

Columbia Business School New York $118,700

Dartmouth College (Tuck) New Hampshire $117,900

University of Michigan (Ross) Michigan $115,300

Duke University (Fuqua) North Carolina $114,100

University of Virginia (Darden) Virginia $112,300

New York University (Stern) New York $112,100

Cornell University (Johnson) New York $110,900

University of California, Los Angeles (Anderson) California $110,300

US

Threshold: $110,000

Canada

Threshold: $80,000

School StateAverage Salary,

Class of 2014 (US$)

University of Calgary (Haskayne) Alberta $94,300

York University (Schulich) Ontario $87,000

University of Ottawa (Telfer) Ontario $83,500

Queen’s University (Smith) Ontario $81,500





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4. Western Europe


Consulting 0.2%

Finance 3%



Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare -1%

While it does not compare to the astounding

growth we see in North America, the figure

reported here by Western European employers is

extremely positive for a region in which growth

has been sluggish in recent times. Indeed, given

the seemingly ever-present economic turmoil

from which much of region has suffered over

the last seven years, this figure can be read as

extremely reassuring and another indicator of

the MBA’s resilience.

The region’s growth in consulting and finance

has been modest. That said, growth in the UK, as

ever, is driven chiefly by the City. In Switzerland

the financial services sector is also the engine

room of MBA hiring, though levels have remained

flat. Technology & telecommunications hiring, on

the other hand, has shown healthy growth across

Western Europe; in no small part due to the

presence of London and Berlin in the region, two

of the world’s most vibrant tech hubs. Germany in

particular has seen solid growth in the technology

sector (as well as in consulting).

It is, however, the industry and non-

professional services space in which

we’ve seen the strongest growth. It

seems a diverse range of employers

are actively seeking MBA talent to

help navigate these uncertain waters.

We see this evidenced, most notably,

in the huge growth in MBA hiring in

Italy’s manufacturing/engineering

sector, a sector which has also grown

significantly, albeit less spectacularly,

in France and Germany.

2014/15 (Forecast)

2014/15 (Actual)

2015/16 (Forecast)

9%

3% 2%





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4.2 Which regions do employers from Western Europe look to when hiring?

Geographical scope of hiring

100

50

0

US & Canada

Latin America

Western Europe

Eastern Europe


Asia-Pacific

Western Europe 32% 26% 85% 50% 25% 29%

2014 2015

Global 36% Global 35%

Local 10% Local 12%

National 34% National 33%

Regional 20% Regional 20%

Western European employers have

traditionally been outward looking. We

see little change this year, with just over a

third of employers employing on a global

scale, and 20% within the region as a

whole. The biggest surprise might be that

they are now being outdone in terms of

global-scale hiring by employers in the US

& Canada. The difference is small enough,

however, that it might be fairer to call this

further proof, were it needed, of the MBA’s

status as a global degree.

Though the figure is still significantly higher

than it is for any other regional hiring scope,

Western European employers are in fact the

least inclined towards targeting candidates

from within their own region. Half of this

year’s sample of responding employers

reported looking to their neighbors in

Eastern Europe also, with freedom of

movement across the two regions making

this one of the more feasible examples of

cross-regional hiring.





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The US & Canada ranks next, unsurprisingly

given the resonances and high level of trade

between the two, with Asia-Pacific coming

next. However, employers from this diverse

region report relatively high figures across

the geographical board.

4.3 Salary trends

We see a mixed story in terms of MBA salary

levels in Western Europe with declines in

Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy

and Portugal offset by increases in Ireland,

Norway, Spain, Switzerland and the UK.

As mentioned previously in this report,

however, we cannot always expect to see a

constant upward trend in salary levels. Offers

made, it seems, are largely in the region

one would hope to find them, with five of

the world’s top 10 salary levels by country

to be found in Western Europe (Norway has

been excluded due to the smallness of its

sample size) including Germany, in spite of

its decrease this year.

The figures on offer in Italy and Portugal

are perhaps the exceptions, though the

positive trends in hiring in the former

Western Europe Average Salary Average BonusYear on Year

Trend

Belgium $78,300 $7,300 Decrease

Denmark $68,800 $5,600 Decrease

France $71,400 $26,400 Decrease

Germany $79,700 $8,900 Decrease

Ireland $89,400 $15,700 Increase

Italy $63,300 $12,000 Decrease

Netherlands $78,300 $16,800 -

Norway $157,300 $62,900 Increase

Portugal $50,000 $20,000 Decrease

Spain $93,100 $15,400 Increase

Switzerland $131,100 $21,400 Increase

United Kingdom $98,500 $22,600 Increase

By Region $85,900 $19,600





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School CountryAverage Salary, Class of 2014

University of St. Gallen Switzerland $130,000

Business School Lausanne Switzerland $122,000

IMD Switzerland $121,500

London Business School United Kingdom $118,900

Aberdeen Business School, The Robert Gordon University United Kingdom $115,000

Mannheim Business School Germany $114,500

INSEAD France $114,100

EDHEC Business School France $111,700

Cass Business School United Kingdom $109,400

University of Strathclyde Business School United Kingdom $107,000

IESE Business School, University of Navarra Spain $103,100

Threshold: $100,000

mean that we can at the very least hope

for an improvement there. The healthiness

of salary levels currently available in

Spain may also serve as an example of the

possibility of a more positive narrative in a

troubled Southern European nation.





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5. Asia-Pacific


Consulting 35%

Finance 15%




It has been another good year for MBA jobs in

Asia-Pacific, the standout region in growth terms

in recent years. Growth in 2014/15 far outstrips

our expectations, driven by large increases in

MBA hiring in both India and China. We anticipate

another strong year in 2015/16.

Part of Asia-Pacific’s strength comes from the

breadth of opportunities in this huge and diverse

region. The tech sector has been the key driver

of growth in recent times, and this has been

another good year, particularly in China, India

and, to a slightly lesser extent, South Korea. The

finance sector has also enjoyed healthy growth,

and not just in the Tiger economies. Indeed,

hiring in Singapore has remained relatively level.

It is once again China and India that are driving

growth in this respect, and even the Pakistani

financial services sector (naturally, from a lower

level) has seen growth.

MBA hiring in industry and non-professional

services, following the global trend, is also on the

up. Australia joins the region’s two BRIC economies

in driving growth this time. The standout story,

however, is the massive rise in

hiring in consulting and professional

services – an indication of Asia-

Pacific’s growing maturity as an MBA

jobs market. While India, Australia,

Pakistan and South Korea have all

enjoyed increases, recruiters in China

can take most of the credit for this

incredible rise. Western MBAs looking

for opportunities in this space would

do well to look east.

Outside of the bigger markets,

employers in Vietnam and

Malaysia also report very

healthy levels of hiring.

2014/15 (Forecast)

2014/15 (Actual)

2015/16 (Forecast)

18%

8%

13%





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5.3 Salary trends

5.2 Which regions do employers from Asia-Pacific look to when hiring?

100

50

0

US & Canada

Latin America

Western Europe

Eastern Europe


Asia-Pacific

Asia-Pacific 34% 18% 29% 22% 23% 91%

Speaking of the opportunities for those

looking east, it seems that employers in Asia-

Pacific are fairly keen to bring in expertise

from outside the region to offer a different

perspective, particularly those from key

trading partners in the US & Canada. Western

Europeans are also in high demand. Other

regions are being targeted to a lesser extent,

with only Latin American recruits registering

the interest of fewer than one in five

recruiters. It is Western recruits, however,

who are clearly the most in-demand.

The figure posted for in-region hiring is

towards the lower end of the scale, though

this is certainly not an indication that

employers are not looking for new recruits

within Asia-Pacific.

In terms of MBA salary levels, the trend

is largely upwards in Asia-Pacific, with

employers from New Zealand and Australia

proving particularly generous. China can

couple impressive growth with improved

salary levels, though we cannot say the

same for India, in which the volume of MBA

jobs and the popularity of the degree sees

salary levels which may be somewhat less

appealing for the expat. China is, in fact,

reporting higher salary levels than Hong Kong

this year (that our survey is self-selecting





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must be borne in mind when considering

findings such as this). Employers based in

Singapore, whose strength is based on its

strong financial services sector, however,

continue to pay out some of the world’s

best salaries. Salary levels are, as would

be expected, lower across the other ASEAN

nations, though these are, of course, younger

MBA markets – the levels of hiring we see in

Vietnam and Malaysia, in particular, are an

indication of growth among this grouping

which may well mean that a few years down

the line we’ll be looking at much improved

figures. Decreases in MBA salary levels in

Japan and South Korea are perhaps the only

negative finding to report here.

Asia-Pacific Average Salary Average BonusYear on Year

Trend

Australia $124,800 $28,400 Increase

China $70,200 $30,600 Increase

Hong Kong $76,700 $22,500 Increase

India $22,700 $3,700 Decrease

Indonesia $50,000 $15,000 -

Japan $46,900 $18,300 Decrease

Malaysia $38,900 $18,600 Increase

New Zealand $145,000 $10,000 Increase

Pakistan $39,000 $4,000 Increase

Philippines $38,300 $8,300 -

Singapore $101,500 $46,000 Increase

South Korea $60,000 $40,000 Decrease

Taiwan $41,200 $20,600 Increase

Thailand $28,000 $400 Increase

Vietnam $20,000 $4,000 -

By Region $68,300 $25,600





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Threshold: $50,000

Threshold: $50,000


INSEAD - Singapore Singapore $114,100

The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong $94,400

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Hong Kong $85,600

Peking University China $72,100

China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) China $67,200

NUS Business School Singapore $62,400

Nanyang Business School, Singapore Singapore $53,000

Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad India $53,900

The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong $51,400


University of New South Wales Australia $139,900

The University of Adelaide Business School Australia $130,000

Melbourne Business School Australia $120,300

La Trobe Business School Australia $108,300

Monash University Australia $85,000

Asia

Australia





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6. Eastern Europe


Consulting 4%

Finance 2%




As anticipated, it has been a slightly slower year

for MBA hiring in Eastern Europe, following last

year’s 10% increase. Employers in the region

have, however, indicated that they intend to

increase hiring levels over 2015/16, so we may

well be discussing a significantly larger figure next

year. Nevertheless, we must still take this with a

pinch of salt as growth does not always live up to

expectations; indeed, the 10% growth reported

last year was below expectations – though the

anticipated figure for that year of 34% was, shall

we say, on the more optimistic side.

The growth we have seen this year has been

driven by the technology sector, while growth

levels in industry & non-professional services are

also at a healthy level. Russian tech employers in

particular have enjoyed a good year – though MBA

employers in the country as a whole are hiring at

lower levels than in 2013/14. Again, we expect a

recovery next year.

MBA employers in Kazakhstan (we

include Central Asia in our Eastern

Europe grouping), on the other

hand, have reported increased

hiring, largely across industry & non-

professional services sectors. In this,

the education and construction/

property industries have had a

good year in particular.

2014/15 (Forecast)

2014/15 (Actual)

2015/16 (Forecast)

17%

4%5%





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6.3 Salary trends

6.2 Which regions do employers from Eastern Europe look to when hiring?

100

50

0

US & Canada

Latin America

Western Europe

Eastern Europe


Asia-Pacific

Eastern Europe 15% 9% 29% 96% 12% 8%

Eastern European MBA employers like

Eastern European talent, it seems. They

are certainly less interested in hiring

MBAs from outside their home region than

those based anywhere else in the world.

Naturally, Western Europe is the exception,

though it is notable that Eastern European

employers are significantly less interested

in hiring Western Europeans than vice versa.

Employers’ key focus at this point in time,

we can assume, is on doing business within

the region, for which hires from one’s own

home country or those nearby are perhaps

best suited, for reasons of language and

culture as well as business knowledge.

Russia, it appears, has not had a stellar year,

with a decrease in average salary levels

compounding the slowdown in MBA hiring.

Perhaps we will see a recovery next year, if

demand increases in line with expectations.

Russia’s salary levels, however, remain

the second-highest in the region, behind

Western European-adjacent Poland, in

which remuneration is at a very healthy

level (albeit based on a relatively small





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sample of employers). Kazakh employers

report higher salaries, consolidating a good

year for the Central Asian nation.

Salary levels in the region overall are the

lowest reported outside of Latin America.

However, we must factor in a relatively

lower cost of living into this equation, as

well as the more insular nature of Eastern

European employers.

Eastern Europe & Central Asia Average Salary Average BonusYear on Year

Trend

Estonia $29,000 $6,700 -

Greece $38,000 $5,600 Increase

Kazakhstan $50,000 $3,000 Increase

Lithuania $39,100 $5,600 Increase

Poland $89,400 $8,900 Increase

Romania $33,500 $3,400 Decrease

Russia $67,600 $13,200 Decrease

Ukraine $30,000 $3,000 Increase

By Region $54,000 $9,900

Russia, it appears, has not had a stellar year,

with a decrease in average salary levels

compounding the slowdown in MBA hiring.

Perhaps we will see a recovery next year, if

demand increases in line with expectations.

Russia’s salary levels, however, remain

the second-highest in the region, behind

Western European-adjacent Poland, in which

remuneration is at a very healthy level

(albeit based on a relatively small sample of

employers). Kazakh employers report higher

salaries, consolidating a good year for the

Central Asian nation.

Salary levels in the region overall are the

lowest reported outside of Latin America.

However, we must factor in a relatively

lower cost of living into this equation, as

well as the more insular nature of Eastern

European employers.

*salary data for schools in this region not provided.





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7. Latin America


Consulting 33%

Finance 18%

Technology & Telecommunications -19%


Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare 1%

It has not been a strong year for MBA hiring in

Latin America, which has grown by a mere 1% –

far short of the 7% anticipated (growth that would

have matched that which we saw in 2013/14).

Of course, as with any story, there are nuances.

MBA job opportunities in consulting and finance

have both increased in number, with rises spread

across the continent. In line with the global trend,

we also see a healthy rise in MBA hiring related to

industry & non-professional services. Technology,

on the other hand, has had a weaker year.

Brazil remains one of the world’s biggest MBA

jobs markets, with hiring largely centering on

industry & non-professional services. It has,

however, not enjoyed the best of years, with its

huge travel/leisure/hospitality industry seeming

to weaken in particular (now that the World Cup is

a thing of the past and its hosting of the Olympics

is fast approaching, perhaps the strongest growth

in this industry is behind us). Mexico, on the

other hand, has had a better year, with healthy

growth across the financial services,

consulting, and industry & non-

professional services sectors.

Peru, on the back of strong recent

economic growth, is also one of the

world’s biggest MBA jobs markets.

Again, hiring is largely within

the industry/non-professional

services sector, though 2014/15

saw increases to hiring in financial

services and consulting.

2014/15 (Forecast)

2014/15 (Actual)

2015/16 (Forecast)

14%

1%

7%





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7.3 Salary trends

7.2 Which regions do employers from Latin America look to when hiring?

100

50

0

US & Canada

Latin America

Western Europe

Eastern Europe


Asia-Pacific

Latin America 21% 98% 15% 12% 10% 10%

Latin America is one of the world’s more

insular regions when it comes to MBA hiring,

which we can ascribe to linguistic issues,

as well as those of business culture, in this

relatively young MBA market. Employers in

the region are most inclined to look north

to the US & Canada when searching for new

recruits, but beyond that the search seems

to be largely trained on recruits from within

Latin America. The percentage of employers

who look for talent within their own region

is second only to the US & Canada.

MBA salary levels are lower in Latin America

than they are anywhere else in the world,

though the significantly lower cost of living

as compared to Western Europe and the

US & Canada must be taken into account,

as well as the youth of the MBA jobs

market in this region.

As with hiring levels, MBA salaries in Brazil

have taken something of a hit this year – a

similar fate to fellow BRIC nation, Russia.

While Mexico and Peru have enjoyed better

years, salary levels in both have declined.

MBA employers in Argentina on the other

hand – the preferred base for international

financial services and consulting firms in the





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region – are offering improved packages,

as are those in the smaller markets of

Uruguay, Venezuela, Panama and Colombia.

Argentina’s neighbor, Chile, has seen a

reduction, though it can still boast among

the highest salaries in the region.

Latin America Average Salary Average BonusYear on Year

Trend

Argentina $52,200 $10,100 Increase

Brazil $35,700 $4,300 Decrease

Chile $52,800 $8,200 Decrease

Colombia $68,200 $21,800 Increase

Costa Rica $38,000 $3,000 -

Dominican Republic $22,500 $4,000 -

Ecuador $42,400 $4,200 Decrease

Mexico $44,000 $9,600 Decrease

Panama $37,400 $4,100 Increase

Paraguay $17,000 $500 -

Peru $46,200 $7,800 Decrease

Uruguay $72,000 - Increase

Venezuela $39,100 $4,800 Increase

By Region $44,600 $7,500

Threshold: $40,000


EGADE Business School - Tecnológico de Monterrey Mexico $50,000

CENTRUM Católica Graduate Business School Peru $46,000

IPADE Business School, Universidad Panamericana Mexico $42,000

INCAE Business School Costa Rica $41,500






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8. Middle East & Africa


Consulting 26%

Finance 2%

Technology & Telecommunications 0.1%



We have seen reasonable growth in the Middle

East & Africa, driven by consulting and industry

& non-professional services, though it has not

quite come at a rate to match our expectations.

This has been something of a regular theme in

the region in recent years; estimates for next year

are, however, conservative.

It is a young MBA market, though in the oil-rich

Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, and in

Egypt, which has enjoyed a huge surge in hiring

in the financial services, it also can lay claim to

three nations in which employers reported some

of the world’s highest hiring levels in 2014/15. In

the case of Egypt, further growth is expected in

a financial services sector which seems to have

weathered years of political turmoil quite well

and is clearly benefiting from relative stability.

MBA hiring levels in the Emeriti

financial services sector, on the other

hand, has gone down in what has

been a slower year for the country

as a whole. Saudi Arabia has fared

better, with hiring in consulting,

finance and law playing their parts

in an overall increase, in addition

to a smaller percentage rise in a

large retail sector.

2014/15 (Forecast)

2014/15 (Actual)

2015/16 (Forecast)

12%

3%

8%





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8.3 Salary trends

8.2 Which regions do employers from the Middle East & Africa look to when hiring?

100

50

0

US & Canada

Latin America

Western Europe

Eastern Europe


Asia-Pacific

Middle East & Africa 36% 27% 39% 32% 88% 42%

In the Middle East & Africa, we find the

world’s most outward-looking employers –

business education is relatively young in the

region so this is driven by necessity as much

as anything. Even the region to which the

fewest employers look – Latin America – is

on the radar of over a quarter of employers

in the region. It is to the east, towards Asia-

Pacific, that employers in the region are

most keen to look. As well as geographical

proximity, high levels of trade and cultural

resonances, experience gleaned in emerging

economies a little further down the line

will be directly applicable to the region’s

employers. Western Europe edges a little

ahead of the US & Canada, while Eastern

Europe registers the interest of around a

third of employers.

The salary levels reported to us in this young

market vary greatly, from a mere $17,000 in

Palestinian territories to an astronomical

$205,200 in South Africa (from a relatively

small sample, it should be noted). The

big three, in terms of hiring growth, have

all reported decreases in salary levels,

giving something of a negative edge to the

positive story, though the levels on offer in

UAE are certainly credible. Africa’s biggest





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economy, Nigeria, has also seen a decline

in MBA salary levels. It is, of course, harder

to map out concrete trends in immature

markets, in which we cannot yet confidently

identify the norm. There are certainly clear

indications here, however, that employers in

the Middle East & Africa are willing to pay a

premium for MBA talent.

Middle East & Africa Average Salary Average BonusYear on Year

Trend

Egypt $30,000 $5,000 Decrease

Ghana $50,000 $6,000 -

Iraq $25,000 $4,000 Increase

Nigeria $35,000 $15,000 Decrease

Palestinian Territories $17,000 $1,500 -

Saudi Arabia $30,000 - Decrease

South Africa $205,200 $22,400 -

United Arab Emirates $66,300 $4,000 Decrease

By Region $71,000 $7,300

Threshold: $60,000


Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town South Africa $87,000

University of Stellenbosch Business School South Africa $64,500






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ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

E-BUSINESS

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

FINANCE SKILLS

INTERNATIONAL AWARENESS

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

IT/COMPUTER SKILLS

LEADERSHIP SKILLS

MARKETING

STRATEGIC THINKING

MULTILINGUAL

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS

RISK MANAGEMENT

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

IMPORTANCE

SATISFACTION

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

9. What Employers Look For

9.1 Desired skills vs. satisfaction





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Generally, we see that MBAs meet or are

close to meeting expectations across a

healthy spread of skills. In technical skills

such as finance, e-business and marketing,

we see a match between the ascribed impor-

tance and satisfaction. Employers are also

satisfied with the global outlook of MBAs,

with international awareness and language

skills both registering respectable scores.

One area in which we find that MBAs fall

short of employer expectations is those

which we would call soft skills – namely

leadership, communication and interper-

sonal skills. Could schools be doing more to

engender these? Or are employers’ expec-

tations over the extent to which such skills

can be taught unrealistic? Or might it be a

third option – that MBAs are more inclined

towards developing more quantifiable tech-

nical skills rather than harder-to-judge soft

skills? Whichever it is, there is clearly an

issue here which needs to be addressed,

particularly when it is a set of skills on which

employers place such a high premium.

There is also a concerning gap between

expectations and reality when it comes to

strategic thinking – something one would

hope MBAs would be in possession of. With

close to half of our respondent pool hiring

into strategic planning roles, it is worrying

that they feel that MBAs do not possess a

satisfactory level of strategic thought. With

competitive advantage a more and more

difficult thing to maintain, this is certainly

an area that schools and candidates alike

must seek to address. The same can be

said, though to a lesser extent, for entre-

preneurship. Again a difficult thing to teach,

but not something for which one would

want to see a low score.

To end on a positive note, however, it is

refreshing to see that MBAs score well in

terms of CSR. In an age when the effects of

not paying adequate attention to the wider

impact of a business’ activities are all too

clear, this is certainly heartening.

One area in which we find that MBAs fall short of employer expectations is those which we would call soft skills – namely leadership, communication and interpersonal skills.

There is a reason - or maybe we should say reasons – that employers hire MBAs, and that is the

diverse range of skills that they offer. As part of our survey, we ask employers to specify how

important each of a range of skills are to them, and how satisfied they are that their MBA hires

are in possession of them.





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6%

22%

39%

22%

11%

6%

28%

37%

20%

9%

5%

30%

40%

19%

5%

6%

28%

39%

20%

7%

7%

28%

37%

19%

8%

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

>8+ YEARS

>5-8 YEARS

>3-5 YEARS

>1-3 YEARS

0-1 YEARS

Mapping the trend over a few years shows a

steady increase in the years of experience

for which employers are looking. In 2011,

35% of employers sought employees with

three years’ experience or less; in 2015, this

figure has fallen to 28%. On the other hand,

those with at least five years under their

belts were targeted by 27% of employers

in 2011; the figure in 2015 stands at 33%.

Perhaps we can connect this desire

for more experience with some of the

perceived shortcomings in terms of MBA

skills we outline in the section above.

Things like strategic thinking and soft skills

may be better learned on the job; ergo,

employees with more years of experience

behind them are more likely to be found in

possession of them.

We might also note that the insecurity that

characterized the start of the decade may

well have led employers to look for hires

who were not tainted by the events of the

end of previous 5-10 years. Employees

with less experience, it might also be noted

– if a little cynically – may also be offered

lower salary and bonus packages. As we

reach relative (the word ‘relative’ must be

emphasized) stability midway through the

current decade, employers can now afford

to turn to more experienced candidates

on both counts.

9.2 Preferred years of work experience

among employers 2011-2015





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9.3 Functional roles offered

Role %

Consultant 34%

E-Commerce 10%

Finance - Advisory 23%

Finance - Other 42%

General Management 37%

IT / Technology 20%

Marketing 38%

Operations / Manufacturing 23%

Sales & Development 28%

Strategic Planning 44%

Supply Chain / Logistics 18%

Other 6%

We have discussed MBA job trends largely in

terms of industries throughout this report (in

line with the remit of this report). But, we also

ask employers into which functions they hire

MBAs, to get a better idea of the purposes for

which MBAs are being recruited.

Despite the diversity of industries into

which MBAs are being hired, we can see here

that what you might call ‘traditional’ roles

predominate. Financial roles register highly,

with 23% of firms hiring MBAs into advisory

roles and 42% in another financial capacity.

Around a third hire MBAs into consultancy

roles and slightly more into general

management and marketing. The role into

which the greatest proportion of MBAs are

being hired, however, is strategic planning (a

rise after a couple of years of reduced hiring

into this role, as you can see in the second

chapter of this report).

This is as you might expect; these are

exactly the functions for which MBAs are

being trained. Supply chain/logistics roles

(though this does mark an increase after

a couple of years of lower levels of hiring

into the function) and IT/technology roles

are slightly more niche, though around one

in five employers seek both, with slightly

more looking for operations/manufacturing

specialists. Hiring into e-commerce roles is

significantly lower, but this may be because

the fact that business takes place online is

simply a reality across job functions in 2015;

the need for specialists is reduced, therefore.

The main thing we can take from this is

that employers are looking to hire MBAs

over a fairly even spread of traditional job

roles, with no function showing any clear

signs of being in, or falling out of, fashion.

Opportunities exist for specialists across a

healthy range of job roles.

employers are looking to hire MBAs over a fairly even spread of traditional job roles





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2013 2014 2015

Between 50 and 250 staff 21% 16% 18%

Less than 50 staff 21% 18% 18%

Over 250 staff 58% 66% 64%

Middle East & Africa 8%

Asia-Pacific 32%

Latin America 23%

US & Canada 11%

Western Europe 21%

Eastern Europe 6%

Total Responses 3946

10. Who Responded to the QS Employer Survey?

10.1 Regional breakdown of MBA employer respondents

10.2 Employer response by size 2015

10.3 Employer response by industry 2013-2015

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Consulting / P

rofessional Services


Manufacturing / E

ngineeringEducation

IT / Computer Services

Pharmaceuticals / Biotech & Health

care

Recruitment / H

R servicesEnergy

Electronics / H

igh Technology

Consumer Goods

Construction / P

ropertyTelecomsRetail

Metals / Mining

Transportation / D

istribution

Travel / Leisure / H

ospitality

Media / Enterta

inment & Arts

Aerospace / DefenseUtili

tiesLaw

Other





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Asia Europe US & Canada Latin America

Consulting Mu Sigma Inc PwC Accenture Nathan Associates

Partners in Performance

Deloitte Sage EY (Ernst & Young)

Edanz Group Ltd. KPMG Deloitte Simon-Kucher & Partners

Nexia TS Bain & Company Dillon Consulting Limited

Everis Group

Finance Citibank Capgemini JP Morgan Chase Bancolombia

Standard Chartered Bank

HSBC Bank of America Merrill Lynch

BBVA

Goldman Sachs Rothschild Group BlackRock Citibank

United Overseas Bank Barclays Scotiabank Compañía Internacional de Seguros

Industry & Non-Professional Services

Dow Chemical Ocado Rolls Royce Adidas

Louis Vuitton Shell Huffington Post Coca-Cola

Toshiba Pfizer BP America Minera Chinalco Perú

Johnson & Johnson Amazon Siemens Unilever

Technology Samsung Cisco Wolfram Research British Telecom

IBM Ericsson Elemica Atos

LG IBM Amazon Nextel

Acer Dell Home Depot Arrow Electronics

10.4 Sample of responding employers by region 2015





QS Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd

QS Quacquarelli Symonds was founded in 1990 and has established itself as the leading global provider of specialist higher education and careers information and solutions. Education and

career decisions are too important to leave to chance, so QS ensures that candidates have access to the best tools and the best independent expert information before making a decision.

QS organizes the largest business education event in the world, the QS World MBA Tour and boasts an extensive product range including print and online publications. It produces a range of annual primary research reports including the QS TopMBA.com Applicant Survey, the QS TopMBA.com Jobs and Salary Trends Report and the QS Global 200 Business Schools Report, as well as the

globally renowned QS World University Rankings®.

Website: www.TopMBA.com

All information © QS Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd 2015





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