Boston — April 25
New real-time insight from workforce research firm Burning Glass found that employer demand for MBAs is robust across the U.S. economy in both traditional and non-traditional sectors.
While the number of generalized MBA programs vastly outnumbers the specialized programs available, the research shows that MBA jobs typically have distinct specializations, with marked differences in skill requirements.
The research also documents the strong demand for MBAs in non-traditional industries, including education, public administration and health care. Notably, non-traditional sectors now account for nearly 20 percent of the MBA job market.
Highlights from the report:
MBA jobs require specialization, while the majority of MBA programs are generalist.
Most students enroll in MBA programs designed with a generalist focus, but MBA jobs often require specialized experience along with a focused educational background. The majority of these jobs fall into one of four functional categories: marketing and sales; finance and accounting; management and operations; and IT and computers.
Even jobs within functional categories see substantial differences in skill requirements.
For example, four of the top 10 skills demanded of financial analysts in 2012 are absent from the top 10 list for financial managers. Similar differences are seen between common jobs within other functional categories.
Source: Burning Glass