RESTON, VA -- (Marketwire) -- 12/09/12 -- Uncertainty hangs above many of the world's economies, but the job market for 2013 graduates, particularly those with graduate-level degrees, may be looking up, according to a survey of 201 employers conducted by the Graduate Management Admission Council.

The 2012 Year-End Poll of Employers finds 76 percent of employers expect to hire new MBA graduates in 2013. Just 69 percent of them hired class of 2012 graduates. Of the employers planning to hire MBAs in 2013, 56 percent plan to offer starting base salaries that keep pace with inflation (43 percent) or exceed it (13 percent).

"Employers recognize that employees with graduate business degrees are a wise investment when times are uncertain and they need talent that not only bring skills but agility to meet the changing demands of these times," said Dave Wilson, president and CEO of GMAC, which administers the GMAT exam for graduate management programs worldwide.

Hiring projections for experienced direct-from-industry hires (86 percent, up from 83 percent hired last year) and new bachelor's recipients (78 percent, down from 80 percent last year) remained relatively stable. The poll also found that demand for new graduates with graduate degrees in other business fields is smaller but growing:

• 43 percent plan to hire master in management graduates (up from 33 percent)
• 40 percent intend to hire master of accounting graduates (up from 32 percent)
• 39 percent expect to hire master of finance graduates (up from 32 percent)
• 46 percent plans to hire other specialized master's degrees in business (up from 34 percent)

The outlook for internships looks strong in 2013, as well. Some 85 percent of the employers polled plan to offer student internships in 2013, with 70 percent planning to use undergraduate interns and 65 percent planning to use MBA interns. Although fewer companies offer internships to other masters-level students, those that do are likely to offer as many or more internships in 2013 than they did in 2012.

The 2013 outlook follows a hiring year that went as well as or better than expected for most companies. Between 85 and 97 percent of companies that planned to hire across each candidate type in 2012 actually made the hires, and most companies hired as many or more employees than they planned for each candidate type.

The 13th annual Year-End Poll of Employers includes responses from 201 employers at 182 companies worldwide, including 45 Fortune 500 companies. The poll prefaces GMAC's annual Corporate Recruiters Survey, a more comprehensive survey of employers worldwide released in conjunction with the Global Management Education Graduate Survey, a student exit survey, each May.

The summary report is available at http://www.gmac.com/market-intelligence-and-research/market-research/why-your-school-should-participate-in-gmac-surveys/year-end-poll-of-employers.aspx

About GMAC: The Graduate Management Admission Council (gmac.com) is a non-profit education organization of the world's leading graduate business schools and owner of the GMAT exam, accepted by more than 5,600 graduate business and management programs worldwide. GMAC is based in Reston, Virginia, and has regional offices in London, New Delhi and Hong Kong. The GMAT exam -- the only worldwide standardized test designed expressly for graduate business and management programs -- is available more than 250 days a year at more than 550 test centers in more than 110 countries. More information about the GMAT exam is available at mba.com. Go to gmac.com/newscenter and follow @GMACNewsCenter on Twitter.

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