The Industries and Companies Hiring the Most MBAs in 2021

In September 2020, months after the coronavirus pandemic stalled the global job market, GMAC reported that MBA hiring was finally bouncing back: while at the start of the pandemic only 77 percent of employers planned to hire MBAs, by fall the number had jumped to nearly 90 percent.

And with news of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout improving study abroad prospects for international applicants, it seems that everyone – schools and students alike – has placed their bets in 2021 as the year of recovery for business education and employment.

But how has the coronavirus pandemic changed MBA hiring, and what are the industries and companies MBA graduates should apply to?

Let’s take a closer look.

Multiple surveys have shown that technology, finance, and consulting – the industries that have consistently hired MBAs throughout the years – remained popular areas of employment during the pandemic.

According to research by TransparentCareer, more than 30 percent of jobs aimed at MBAs in 2020 belonged to the tech industry. Compared with the same figures from 2019 and 2018 – where tech jobs for b-school grads amounted to less than 20 percent – it’s clear that the industry has managed to thrive throughout the global economic crisis, positioning itself as a solid career choice for future MBAs.

Of the tech companies hiring the most MBAs in 2020, Google, Microsoft and Amazon emerged as the most consistent employers: all three are expected to hire over 50,000 corporate and technology roles in the US over the next few months.

However, graduates shouldn’t underestimate specialized SMEs across the sector, including AI, data tracking, delivery and logistics firms, whose value continues to skyrocket as the world becomes increasingly more digital.

Finance and consulting are also expected to hire a high number of MBAs throughout 2021.

While new fintechs continue to emerge – and are expected to recruit MBAs for top positions to popularize their solutions –, consulting firms such as McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Bain & Company were able to keep hiring stable throughout the pandemic and are set to remain as some of the biggest employers of MBA grads in the following year.