2010 Corporate Recruiters Survey Report

Overview

GMAC once again partnered with the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) and the MBA Career Services Council (MBA CSC) in designing the survey and in soliciting survey partnerships.

The objectives of this annual study are to obtain a picture of the current employment landscape, gauge the demand for master’s-level business graduates, better understand employer needs, and provide insight into hiring practices. The survey examines hiring trends for graduates from MBA, Master in Management, and specialized master’s programs (accounting, business information technology, finance, and financial engineering).

Responses to this survey of graduate business student employers were collected from mid-February to mid-March 2010. Data reflect the responses of 2,367 participants representing 1,960 companies in 57 countries worldwide; 129 of the global Fortune 500 companies participated. Respondents in the United States represent firms in 43 states and the District of Columbia and include 171 of the US Fortune 500 companies.

Quick Facts

• The 2010 job outlook overall was expected to be slightly better than the 2009 outlook especially for recent specialized master’s in business graduates and MBA graduates.
• 60% of participating companies, up from 48% in 2009, plan to expand their customer base in 2010.
• The MBA class of 2010 can expect to see a somewhat improved job market in comparison to 2009, when companies planned to reduce the number of available positions by half.
• Overall, two-thirds of participating companies (66%)—and the majority of health care and pharmaceutical (80%) and consulting (73%) firms—planned to hire MBA graduates for mid-level positions and slightly more than half (52%) planned to offer entry-level jobs.
• Satisfaction with MBA employees and the skills they bring to the company remain high. Almost all employers (99%) report satisfaction with their MBA employees, including 76 percent who are very or extremely satisfied.