Consulting firms hiring MBAs at record levels

According to a recent study by the QS TopMBA Employer Survey, MBAs are enjoying record levels of recruitment attention from consultancies in 2011.

The survey, which fancies itself "the world's largest survey of MBA employers", polled leading companies regarding their willingness to hire candidates with graduate-level business degrees.

MBA hiring by consulting firms hit record levels in 2011, the survey says, on the back of a 19 percent increase in demand for MBA graduates in 2010; if TopMBA forecasters are correct, demand will continue to increase by as much as 37 percent in 2011. These significant increases in demand have directly correlated to increased hiring of MBA-holding candidates by top consulting firms like The Boston Consulting Group.

"Quality MBAs could not be better matched to the needs of the consulting industry," the survey quoted James Platt, MBA recruiting master at BCG London. "We can draw upon the full range of their knowledge as we allocate them to different types of client assignments. They have the knowledge and confidence to hit the ground running, utilizing both their hard skills and their well-developed interpersonal skills, which are so important in our client facing business."

The survey authors had more good tidings for MBAs pursuing jobs at top consulting firms.

"Virtually all of the leading firms are hiring MBAs," the survey says. "In particular, the big strategy players like McKinsey, BCG, Accenture, Bain, and Booz are recruiting actively. Accenture and IBM Consulting are large players in outsource consulting projects and expect continued growth in this activity as companies look to reduce costs."

Oh, and "Deloitte, KPMG, Ernst & Young and Capgemini are all actively expanding their business advisory/business consultancy divisions." (All revelations which, if you follow Consult THIS, you've known for months.)

For more information:
QS TopMBA Jobs & Salary Trends 2011 (PDF)