IN RAPID RISE OF AI, EMPLOYERS TURN TO BUSINESS SCHOOL GRADUATES FOR HUMAN SKILLS

RESTON, Va., July 2 (Bernama) -- Despite concerns about inflation and recession risk, employer confidence in graduate management education (GME) and its ability to prepare business school graduates to be successful in their organizations has reached new heights since the pandemic, according to an annual survey of global corporate recruiters of business graduates released today by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). This increase in confidence was seen across key industries business education caters to like consulting, finance and accounting, as well as technology. The best news for today’s business school graduates is that employers' appreciation translates into optimistic hiring projections, with the majority of global recruiters planning steady or expanding hiring in 2024. A third expected to hire more MBA graduates than last year.

Notably, employers’ renewed confidence in GME is reflected in the growing number of them who say business school graduates tend to outperform their other employees, fast-track to upper-level positions, and earn more than other employees, and the share has grown in recent years despite – or perhaps due to – the rapid rise of technologies like generative artificial intelligence (AI). With the attention AI has received, the responding employers do not necessarily believe the predicted changes have hit their workplaces just yet, with only 26 percent considering AI to be an important skill for current GME graduates to leverage in their organizations. However, when asked which skills will be most important in five years, AI ranked high across regions and industries. More importantly, employers consistently value problem-solving and strategic thinking as the top skills for GME graduates of both today and tomorrow, and these core competencies are seen as essential around the globe.