The median annual base starting salary US employers plan to offer new MBA hires in 2019 is the highest ever recorded when adjusted for inflation, says the recent Business School Hiring Report by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), an association of leading graduate business schools worldwide. The Report is based on findings from the annual Corporate Recruiters Survey, with over 1,200 employers in 45 countries providing insight into current market and hiring trends among MBA and business master’s graduates.  

The median annual base starting salary US employers plan to offer new MBA hires in 2019 is US $115,000, more than double the median for new bachelor’s degree hires (US $ 55,000) and the highest ever recorded in the US when adjusted for inflation. Median MBA starting salaries are highest in the consulting (US $ 135,000) industry and finance/accounting (US $ 125,000) functions.

“Employers clearly place a high value on acquiring MBA and business master’s graduates,” said Sangeet Chowfla, President and CEO of GMAC. “We are seeing a highly active candidate marketplace in terms of geographical shifts in study destinations, but the value that both employers and graduates see in an advanced business degree is a constant.”

Overall, 56 per cent of employers plan to increase MBA starting salaries in 2019, including 63 per cent of Asia-Pacific employers, 56 per cent of US employers, and 49 per cent of European employers. European companies plan to offer new MBA hires US $ 95,000 this year, and the median for Asia-Pacific companies is US $ 45,000.

Employer MBA hiring plans remain strong but have moderated for the second consecutive year. Among US and European employers, 77 per cent and 69 per cent respectively plan to hire MBA talent in 2019, down for the second consecutive year. In the Asia-Pacific region though, nearly nine in ten companies (87 per cent) plan to hire MBAs in 2019 – the highest share of any world region.

Read more on www.mbanews.com.au, www.newscenter.gmac.com​​​​​​​