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.
- Growing employer confidence with increasing flexibility in work and study: 56% of global 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; roughly the same percentage (55%) also agree or strongly agree that they 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.
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