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MBA Jobs in USA, India | B-school Placement Trends

Are MBA jobs coming back in USA, India, UK, and the other primary destinations for those seeking management wisdom and wealth? The fortunes of MBA students are often tied to the economical cycles. And a good reason to leave your pre MBA job is when you are relatively sure that your chances of getting a good job in a new country are good. Most of the answers on forums, blogs tend to be pretty subjective about what’s been happening to folks who took the plunge into MBA world before you did.

The QS TopMBA report on jobs and salaries does a good job of quantifying the answer to this oft asked question. At 68 pages, the report is quite massive. So we do the grunge work of filtering out the key points from it. In this post, we look at it from a country perspective.

MBA jobs | Summary of trends

– In the last 2 decades, despite the ups and downs that the economy has gone through, MBA jobs have managed an average growth rate (CAGR) of 15%.

– This year the number of MBA jobs offered grew by 14%. This is 1% lower than last year, but substantially higher than the post-recession phase growth numbers (2009 saw a 5% decrease)

– Asia was the star player in MBA recruitment (20% growth rate), and after a big gap it was followed by Middle East (8%), Latin America (6%) and Central Europe (6%). Ironically the region with the best business schools, North America, had the worst growth rate (2%). The silver lining is that all the numbers were positive (i.e. MBA jobs are growing, not shrinking)

– At 11% growth, four sectors shared the honours for presenting the most opportunities for MBA jobs – Consulting, finance, technology and general industry

– The worst performers were Media & entertainment, metals / mining, pharmaceuticals / healthcare, hospitality / travel

MBA jobs in USA

– The United States is taking its time to recover from economic battering. The 2% growth in MBA jobs hasn’t been good enough to absorb all the talent that’s coming out of its top schools.

– The point above might be the reason why a high percentage of international students (the Wharton Dean estimates this to be 2 out of 3) return to their home country to take up post-MBA jobs

– Based on the forecast of MBA recruiters, the coming years will see an improvement in MBA hiring. The growth rate could jump into double digits (16% is the estimated figure).

– Consulting firms have already started ramping up their talent pool from business schools. The other sectors that are expected to drive this growth are financial services, technology, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing.

– Right now, MBA recruiters are still playing safe and using internships to test drive their future employees.

– Work permits / H1B visa is still an issue that’s giving MBA students and recruiters a tough time. So, MBA jobs in USA for Indians (hoping to use the degree as a stepping stone) will continue to have its challenges. However, the visa extension under the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) category has given the cloud a silver lining.

MBA jobs in India

– Professional service firms (including management consulting jobs), Information technology / ITES and finance (including the micro-finance players) have been driving the MBA jobs growth number to a whopping 29%.

– The bigger chunk of local Indian recruiters hire from the conventional two year (CAT & equivalent) MBA programs meant for freshers with no experience. The salaries are usually less than 15 lakhs. The growth rates mentioned earlier do not consider this category of MBA recruiters.

– When it comes to GMAT MBA jobs, there’s a clear bifurcation of the type of programs that Indian recruiters prefer. The multinational companies have a strong preference to recruit the best from the global talent pool i.e. the top international business schools. But the local companies prefer the Indian MBA programs, like the one-year programs offered by the IIMs (IIMA PGPX, IIMB EPGP, IIMC PGPex), Indian School of Business (ISB Hyderabad / Mohali).

MBA jobs in UK, UAE, Japan, Singapore

– Most of the other countries fall between the USA and India in terms of MBA job growth rate. China and South Korea are exceptions with high growth rates.

– In the UAE, the increase has been modest (3%) and driven by banking, energy and Information technology companies. According to one recruiter, the biggest constraint on getting that number higher is the willingness of MBA graduates to relocate to the Middle East.

– Japanese recruiters have had a tradition of sending their best employees to the best business schools in the West. The trend continues and has resulted in high growth rates (17%)

– In Russia, the MBA qualification is soon becoming the de facto pre-requisite for the best managerial jobs. Energy and financial services have led the growth.

What MBA recruiters want vs what they get

– Most MBA employers appear to be happy with the technical skills that MBA graduates bring into their firm. These skills are mostly tangible in nature and relate to finance, marketing, risk management, and other hard skills.

– Recruiters are also happy (for the first time in 2 decades) with the leadership skills of the newly minted MBAs.

– Soft skills is still an area of concern for MBA recruiters – the bggest ones being interpersonal skills, communication and the ability to think strategically.

– MBA recruiters are also disappointed when they find out that candidates are less entrepreneurial than they expected them to be. This despite the fact that many of the individual ingredients that go into entrepreneurship are generally covered during the MBA course.

Of course, none of this really guarantees what’ll happen to your career after you’ve taken a 2 year break from your work (and salary) and are hoping to get back into the working +  earning life. But when you consider that the growth for MBA jobs over a 25 year period has been better than all other (non-MBA) jobs, it does give you some reassurance. You own a degree that’s survived the highs and lows of the economy and done pretty well for its owners over the longer term.

Next we look at MBA salaries in USA, India, UK and other countries.


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Sameer Kamat
About Sameer Kamat
Founder of MBA Crystal Ball. Author of Beyond The MBA Hype & Business Doctors. Here's more about me. Follow me on: Instagram | Linkedin | Youtube

35 thoughts on “MBA Jobs in USA, India | B-school Placement Trends”

  1. Hello Sameer,

    If I were to compare Mason school of business (W&M) and Thunderbird School of management, which one would you recommend and why ? I am a bit confused looking at their post employment stats.

    Thank you for your help.
    Chetal.

    Reply
  2. Hi Sameer,

    STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Management) means Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, not Management.So, MBA students are not going to benefit from this.

    Let me know if I am wrong.

    Reply
  3. Hi Sameer, I graduated from a top US b-school last summer and didn’t land a job there, so I came back to India recently. Haven’t started job search in India yet and want to know what are my job prospects in India, having been unemployed for almost a year now? How can I improve my chances of landing a job here or should I go for another MBA, perhaps exec MBA in India, to get access to top recruiters? Thanks, Mohit

    Reply
  4. Is it worth investing in an mba degree in us due to h1b visa luck based selection?Are there any chances of getting a job in india for the mba degree earned in the us?

    Reply
  5. Swapnil: When something as critical as a work permit is dependent on pure luck, the element of risk remains high.

    So, it’s always good to consider the best and worst case scenarios before jumping in.

    Reply
  6. I want to know the job prospects in US after MBA considering i am investing a lot of money?? and are the placement statistics right as shown by institutes ??

    Reply
  7. Dear Sameer,

    I carry 10 years of indian work experience and have to choose an MBA from Trinity Dublin, Bath UK, Emlyon France and UNCG Bryan school of business USA. I am looking for a career change, could you please advice on correct choice that I should make.

    Cheers !
    Sameer

    Reply
  8. hi sameer

    i read your article and i would like to thank you for sharing your insight . And now let me first give you my brief introduction , i am an engineer , worked with an mnc for about 6 months , and currently i am in the first year of delhi school of mgt under DTU .what i want to know is ,what kind of profiles are offered to students who step into marketing or supply chain mgt and also how to make hold of packages more than 15 lakhs .
    what to search and
    how to search those profiles
    marketing research , sales is something i am not looking for .
    please explain in detail
    thank you for your time

    Reply
  9. Hi Sameer,

    I read the whole blog and would want you to keep on the good work 🙂

    I gave my gmat for the third time and could only get 650 in GMAT, i am in software industry and 2.2 yrs work ex. I have couple of questions in my mind. Can i get into Top-50 US b-schools ? i am a bit above average guy in terms of academics and want to pursue MBA in finanace.

    1. Is is worth doing MBA from the Top-50 US b-schools with the current market situation ?
    2. For the bracket between Top-30 to Top-50 , what are the job opportunities ? Its a clique question but still i would ask the same as the market is good , but i have some friends who are returning home as they couldn’t get placed , they were from Top-30 to Top-50 bracket college.
    3. What is the average salary from those colleges ?

    Could you please help me with this by throwing some light !!Thanks for your time.
    Ni

    Reply
  10. Hi ,

    I am in the same condition as you Nitin.
    Right now I am considering Canada as a better option. For US, I am doubtful if I would land up a job.
    My GMAT 2nd attempt was 640.

    What are your future goals after MBA?

    Reply
  11. Hi there!

    I have completed my bachelor’s in hospitality management in affiliation to Napier university, Scotland and have been working since then. Currently I am working as an assistant Restaurant manager in a five star hotel and looking forward to do a MBA in India or Canadian university. Kindly advise if pusued in India, how much will be the payscale?

    Reply
  12. sir I have completed my post graduation from shri ramswaroop memorial group of professional colleges the college didn’t provide the placement….. and I have a good talent in the overview of the marketing ..and in future I want to do job in a usa

    Reply
  13. hi sameer,

    i am shilpa. i have done my part time MMM from mumbai university. my age is 31, here i am working with a newspaper in space marketing department. my total experience is around 8 yrs in this field. can i get a job in usa or uk.

    plz guide me
    thnks

    Reply
  14. Hii Sameer,
    I am Studying final year B.Tech(2015 Passout).I want to Do my MBA in US or London.So, how much i have to spend on it..,if i want to get MBA from top 30 Schools..? and what about my Job Opportunity after MBA in Abroad..?

    Reply
  15. @Nitin: There are folks coming back from the Top 10 bschools as well. And several Indian students attending lower ranked bschools are managing career transitions as well. So it can flow both ways. Though a good brand opens up more doors, getting a good job is also dependent on your own networking efforts and luck.

    I’m skipping the questions by other readers that are speculative in nature e.g. ‘what are my chances of getting a job in the US?

    Reply
  16. Hi sameer…
    I am from kashmir and have done my mba with major finance and have work experience of about two years,
    But now I want to work in abroad, can u plz suggest me which will be the best place for me to work there and where I can seek a right job for me?
    With regards
    Hussain

    Reply
  17. Hi,

    I have completed my CS and CFA and have work ex of 2 years in an Indian Company.
    I am looking forward to know, with my current CV if getting into any of the top 20 US based business
    schools for MBA is possible?
    My Gmat score is 730.

    My goal is to settle down in India only, keeping that in mind is going to the US for MBA a good step in terms of getting placements/ job prospects/ return on investment in Indian Companies??

    Reply
  18. Hi Sameer,
    I have 8+ years exp ( 4 years as a software developer in MNC + 4 years as an entrepreneur ), i would like to do MBA in USA or canada,
    how much score is required to get admissions in top 1% b schools, how about working visa in canada after doing one year MBA

    Reply
  19. hi guys … I’m MBA from Bharathiar University, Coimbatore passed in the year 2013. I suffered a lot in job hunting for 3 months. Finally , I worked out myself as an entrepreneur in my hometown ( Manipur). Don’t waste your time and money staying out of your country. stay close with your family and friends and help them. we should not work for foreign clients. stop thinking foreign are best. Think you are the best and start out yourself. Live like a leader. Let foreign people come and work for us. All the best guys….

    Reply
  20. mY SELF RAJEEV VARSHNEY IN INDIA I HAVE PASS B.COM. ANDM.B.A. PRESENTLY WORK IN NEEL KANTH GROUP MATHURA AS SALES OFFICER FOR LAST FIVE YEAR.

    Reply
  21. I have 7 years of experience in marketing , now i want to do my MBA , however i am not prepared for the entrance tests,
    could you please let me know which are the good colleges that can give me admission without good score in the CAT , MAT, CMAT etc.

    i have also heard about one year MBA , fee structure of this is is very high , is it worth ? do they provide placement ?

    what is scope for MBA in International business ? or should i pursue MBA in marketing as i am having 7 years of experience in this field .
    or should i join general management

    Reply
  22. Hi Sameer,

    I am currently working in TCS. How good is an MBA from SIMS, Pune? What about doing an international MBA with options for ROI abroad.

    Reply
  23. Hi Sameer, I would also like to know what are the chances of finding a job in India for those who graduated from a top 15 business programs in USA? Visa is a major risk here so even if a person finds a job they may not have permit to work. In such situation what’s the job market for USA mba graduates in India (top 15 programs).
    Also,what kind of MBA jobs are there -consulting,healthcare,….?

    Thanks

    Reply
  24. hi i am vagesh hiremath i am a MBA with dual specialization major as Marketing and minor as finance
    currently i am working with one of the TOP NBFC
    i am looking for overseas opportunities plz help me …
    [personal details edited out]

    Reply
  25. Hello,
    I am an MBA. i want to work in teaching field. But i dont want to work in india. I am planning on going to usa for the same. Can u please guide me on my decision

    Reply
  26. Hi, I have a low GMAT score but I am okay with studying in a top 50 school in the US. My biggest worry however is getting a job and a visa after the mba. I’ve heard that due to visa issues more and more MBA grads are coming back to India. What are your thoughts?

    Reply
  27. iam bcom computers final year student i want to do a job in foreign any body cal tell me how to get a job in usa or any other states iam disction student in all my education career and i have done some technical courses

    Reply

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