|
New Survey Finds Employers Keen on Hiring Business School Graduates as AI Integration Accelerates
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
GMAC's latest corporate recruiters survey sends promising signal to recent graduates.
RESTON, Va., July 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Even as employers report ongoing influence of inflation, recession fears, and country leaders on their hiring decisions, recent business school graduates can remain optimistic about their career prospects, buoyed by the accelerating integration of artificial intelligence (AI) across the modern business landscape. According to the latest annual survey of global corporate recruiters released today by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), problem-solving and strategic thinking remain the top skills employers desire today and tomorrow. In addition, new hires' knowledge of using AI tools has risen measurably in its current importance in the average employer's mind since last year, and it tops the list of the skills employers value the most five years from now.
"As AI becomes more integral in a company's decision-making and strategy development, employers continue to turn to business school graduates for their versatility and strategic thinking, along with growing appreciation for their ability to innovate and navigate the challenges and opportunities of technological disruption," says Joy Jones, CEO at GMAC. "I give kudos to business schools' intentional cultivation of these relevant skills in their students, who stand out even more as valuable contributors and future leaders in the ever-evolving business world."
This year's survey was conducted with a total of 1,108 corporate recruiters and hiring managers--nearly two thirds of them with Global Fortune 500 companies--participating from organizations and staffing firms in 46 countries.
Key findings to note for business school graduates and aspirants
-- Positive employer perceptions of business education: An overwhelming 99%
of global employers express confidence in business schools' ability to
prepare graduates for success within their organizations. Moreover,
nearly two-thirds affirm that the skills gained through a graduate
business degree are more critical than ever, as companies increasingly
adopt emerging tech.
-- The enduring and rising importance of human skills in the modern
workforce: more than half of global employers cite the value of
communication skills in their hiring decisions, with employers also
valuing candidates' emotional intelligence and adaptability in their
current and future hiring decisions.
-- Tech employers the most confident about flexible work and study: 55% of
tech employers agree or strongly agree that the skills gained through a
business degree are more important than before for businesses using
remote or hybrid working arrangements; similarly, employers in the
technology sector are the most likely--at 57%--to value graduates of
online or predominantly online and in-person programs equally.
-- New "Gen Z" hires' professionalism demystified--somewhat--by employers:
61% of corporate recruiters find recent GME graduates to demonstrate the
same level of professionalism--such as reliability, respectfulness, or
professional appearance--as graduates from previous years. However,
roughly a quarter of the more client-facing consulting and health
care/pharmaceutical recruiters disagree.
-- Hiring projection spotlighting popularity of generalist business
degrees: 76% of global employers predict that they will hire about the
same or more newly minted MBA graduates in 2025 compared to 2024. In
fact, 90% of them plan to hire talent with an MBA--even more than
prospective employees with bachelor's degrees or those coming directly
from other organizations.
"As flexibility in work and learning becomes a norm, business school graduates--with degrees or credentials earned in-person or remotely--should feel empowered that their employability continues to outperform those without an advanced management degree, especially when they understand and underscore how they are skilled in strategic thinking, problem-solving, and communications alongside technological savvy," says Christine Murray, associate dean & managing director of McDonough Career Center at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business.
For more than two decades, the Corporate Recruiters Survey has provided the world's graduate business schools and employers with data and insights to understand current trends in skill demand, hiring, compensation, and perceptions of MBA and business master's graduates. GMAC conducted this year's survey, together with survey partners European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) and the Career Services and Employer Alliance (CSEA), from January to March 2025. To learn more about other key findings from GMAC's 2025 Corporate Recruiters Survey, please visit gmac.com.
About GMAC
The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) is a mission-driven association of leading graduate business schools worldwide. GMAC provides world-class research, industry conferences, recruiting tools, and assessments for the graduate management education industry as well as resources, events, and services that help guide candidates through their higher education journey. Owned and administered by GMAC, the Graduate Management Admission Test(TM) (GMAT(TM)) exam is the most widely used graduate business school assessment.
More than 13 million prospective students a year trust GMAC's websites, including mba.com, to learn about MBA and business master's programs, connect with schools around the world, prepare and register for exams and get advice on successfully applying to MBA and business master's programs. BusinessBecause and GMAC Tours are subsidiaries of GMAC, a global organization with offices in China, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
To learn more about our work, please visit www.gmac.com
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-survey-finds-employers-keen-on-hiring-business-school-graduates-as-ai-integration-accelerates-302492429.html
SOURCE Graduate Management Admission Council
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Couchbase AI Services Put Enterprises in Control of Agentic AI | Jan 22, 2026
|
|
NAHGA Claim Services Notifies Individuals of Data Security Incident | Jan 22, 2026
|
|
Best HR and Payroll Software (2025): QuickBooks Awarded for Accuracy and Team Management by Better Business Advice | Jan 22, 2026
|
|
KAIJU NO. 8 THE GAME is Kicking Off the New Year with Massive Content! | Jan 22, 2026
|
|
11 Press Releases You Need to See This Week | Jan 22, 2026
|
|
Best Cloud Accounting Software (Jan 2026): Sage Awarded for Real-Time Collaboration and Access in the UK by Better Business Advice | Jan 22, 2026
|
|
Expion Health Announces Qlare(TM), a Breakthrough Conversational AI Tool Transforming Prescription Cost Decision-Making | Jan 22, 2026
|
|
TNL Mediagene Issues Shareholder Letter Providing H2 and 2025 Corporate Update | Jan 22, 2026
|
|
Abu Dhabi to Host 2026 Gran Turismo World Series Opener for the First Time in the Middle East | Jan 22, 2026
|
|
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Launches a New Official Platform, "Saudi Properties", Ahead of the Non-Saudi Property Ownership Law | Jan 22, 2026
|
|
|
|
