The Graduate Management Admissions Councel (GMAC), which surveyed a large number of 2011 business school graduates for their 2012 Alumni Perspectives Survey, has reported that hiring remained at a robust 84% for management degree graduates three months after graduation. 2010 management graduates had a 96% employment rate 15 months after graduation.
GMAC’s research shows a clear disparity between hiring and salary levels between less- and more-experienced management graduates; as 19% of graduates with less than one year of experience were unemployed three months after graduation with starting salaries ranging from US$40,000-50,000, compared to a 14-15% unemployment rate and starting salares of US$70,000-90,000 for graduates with one to six years of prior work experience. GMAC’s 2011 Corporate Recruiters Survey supported this data as 41% of the worldwide recruiters stated that they planned to hire MBA graduates with three to four years of experience, while only 27% planned to hire MBAs with less than 3 years of experience. “Proven ability to perform” was the number one quality that global corporate recruiters where looking for in new hires.