Western European MBA Recruitment Increases

New research reveals that recruiter demand for MBAs in Western Europe has increased, while remuneration levels are amongst the highest in the world.

Released this week, the annual QS TopMBA.com Jobs and Salary Trends Report highlights the continuing trend that while much of Western Europe suffers continuing cutbacks in staffing, organizations remain faithful in the skill-set of MBA graduates by investing more each year in hiring more graduates.

“Despite the Eurozone crisis dominating headlines, Western Europe still reported net growth in MBA demand of 5% in 2012,” explains Nunzio Quacquarelli, managing director of QS Quacquarelli Symonds and author of the report.

But while the MBA recruitment picture for Western Europe in general is healthy, localized variations are significant, and reveal the affects of continued economic uncertainty on MBA hiring.

“Denmark, Germany, France and the UK all reported strong demand for MBAs,” Quacquarelli continues. “However, Italy, Greece and Ireland reported a substantial fall-off in MBA demand as austerity measures hit local employers in particular.”

Of course, MBA graduates are amongst the most internationally mobile professionals in the world. Add to this the ease of relocation within Europe as a result of visa waiving agreements between EU countries, and European MBA graduates are in the enviable position of competing for some of the world’s highest salaries.

For instance, Swiss employers report that they expect to pay, on average nearly US$140,000 per annum including bonuses. UK employers report remuneration levels well over US$100,000, while French, Spanish, German, and Danish employers report MBA remuneration packages between US$90,000 and US$100,000.