According to a new report by Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), employers across the globe continue to have confidence in MBA degrees amid concerns about artificial intelligence making business school graduates redundant. The survey drew responses from 621 recruiters and hiring managers across 39 countries, with just over half of them at Global Fortune 500 companies among the world's largest by revenue. As reported by PTI, in 2025, 99 per cent of employers expressed at least some degree of confidence in GME's ability to prepare graduates to be successful in their organisations. In 2026, not one respondent indicated they have no confidence, revealing the enduring value that employers believe GME provides to industry.
According to the latest GMAC report, the ability to handle the complex global business environment has emerged as the most common reason for employer confidence in GME graduates, growing from the seventh to the most common reason with nearly three-quarters of respondents appreciating GME graduates' capacity to thrive amid global complexity in 2026. As reported by PTI, this represents a statistically significant change, with the sizeable year-over-year growth being true regardless of employer region or industry. The report noted that employers were found much more likely to cite this capability as the most common reason for confidence in GME graduates, with the distinctly human capabilities of communication, adaptability, and emotional intelligence becoming harder to replicate in an era of AI advancement. However, the report also cited that though the capability to handle complex global environments was the only statistically significant change, there were some small declines in confidence attributed to several of the core business school skills discussed previously, such as communication and strategic thinking skills.
Despite overall confidence, one area of common concern has grown harder to ignore - professionalism. As reported by PTI, employers were asked whether today's GME graduates demonstrate the same level of professionalism as graduates from previous years, defined as reliability, respectfulness, accountability and professional appearance. The results point to a statistically significant decline in the number of employers who thought today's GME graduates demonstrated the same level of professionalism as graduates from previous years. The decline was seen across sectors excluding products and services, with technology employers still the most satisfied with today's graduates, while workplace etiquette and consulting and manufacturing employers were the least satisfied. According to the report, though the year-over-year differences by industry and region are within the margin of error, the decline was seen across sectors (excluding products and services).
According to the GMAC report, employers' opinion that in an era when AI can generate content, analyse data, and automate routine tasks, the distinctly human capabilities of communication, adaptability, and emotional intelligence have become harder to replicate-and therefore more valuable. As reported by PTI, the report cited employers' belief that business schools must prepare graduates to operate with confidence at the intersection of technological fluency and human judgment. More than half of global employers agreed that the skills gained through a business degree are more important than before for businesses using remote or hybrid work, particularly in the technology, manufacturing, and healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. The report emphasized that for business schools, the most pressing implication is not simply that programs should teach AI skills (though that gap is real and growing). It is that schools must prepare graduates to operate with confidence at the intersection of technological fluency and human judgment. Despite concerns about automation, employers remain optimistic about hiring graduates in 2026, with more organisations expecting to recruit MBA and business master's graduates this year than they did in 2025, suggesting that demand for qualified talent remains healthy.
