Tech companies whose businesses have surged during the pandemic—like Amazon . com Inc. and Zoom Video Communications Inc. —are snagging more of the M.B.A. talent entering the workforce, helping to offset pullbacks by industries harder hit by the Covid-19 economy.
Openings for tech positions rose at 57% of full-time Masters of Business Administration programs this past fall, according to a survey of nearly 100 schools by industry group MBA Career Services & Employer Alliance. Overall, though, it has been a lackluster recruiting season at business schools, the survey found, as nearly half reported an overall decline in opportunities for students.
Sectors hit hardest by the pandemic, such as retail and energy, have pulled back their M.B.A. recruiting, according to the report. That is especially the case for companies in the hospitality industry, which 61% of business schools said have cut back job opportunities.
Nearly half the schools also reported a decline in recruiting from consulting firms—traditionally some of the biggest hirers of M.B.A. graduates every year. Several of those firms, including PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and Bain & Co., said last year that they planned to make fewer hires among second-year M.B.A. candidates, beyond those who interned in the summer.
Some of the biggest recruiters have been tech companies whose business have boomed during the coronavirus crisis, including Amazon, Zoom and Netflix Inc., said Megan Hendricks, executive director of the MBA Career Services & Employer Alliance. Amazon plans to recruit more than 1,000 M.B.A. students for full-time jobs and internships this year, a company spokeswoman said, while Zoom said it intends to hire more M.B.A. graduates as part of a new, global emerging-talent program. Netflix had no comment.
