China is the hottest market with more and more MBAs joining Chinese companies. Asian students are among the highest GMAT scorers in the world. The Top MBA International MBA Recruitment and Salary Report 2007, reveals these and other interesting trends of MBA education in 35 countries.

The survey is the most extensive and presents an unrivalled view of the World MBA recruitment market with responses from 489 companies worldwide.

While American business school students worry about job offers being yanked (BusinessWeek.com, 4/3/08) and salaries and starting bonuses shrinking, their counterparts at top Indian business schools are having what looks to be their best recruiting year ever, according to a report.

The job placement figures this year at 20 of India's top management schools-including six Indian Institute of Management campuses (IIMs)-"paints a rosy picture of job prospects for top management graduates," according to the 2008 MBA Placement Report released April 7 by MBA Universe, an India-based Web site about business schools.

"Hiring predictions from MBA recruiters suggest that MBA demand worldwide will set a new record in 2008. In most countries, the survey has shown that there is a rise in demand for the MBA course, specially among people who seek a career change or who wish to start business," says marketing director (India and Middle East) Biren Patel of Quacquarelli Symonds, the world's leading network for top careers and education which conducted the survey.

Surprisingly, industrial companies are hiring MBAs from a broader number of business schools than ever before. But it is the consulting and financial services which will account for 50% of MBA hires at many B-schools, even in the future.

Such is the demand for MBAs that in North America, where foreign students find it challenging to get H1 visas, recruiters are finding the ways to hire people. Many Western European countries are becoming hot spots for MBA recruiting.

The UK is at full employment, particularly, due to the implementation of the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme, the visa regime that is favorable to MBAs of any nationality.

Dubai, too, is a hiring hub. Companies there are seeking MBAs in large numbers. The study has shown that the demand will continue to grow in 2009. And there seem to be no imminent indicators of a possible drop in demand. Yet, the research has a word of caution: the supply of MBAs is not growing as rapidly and companies may not be willing to push salaries much higher.

The MBA is becoming the mainstream qualification for recruiters globally.

Pushpendra Rawat