"It's hard to get Harvard MBA".What Happened As Big Tech Recruitment Slashed

EPA/Yonhap News

Foreign media reported that the employment demand for high-salary white-collar professions by IT giants has decreased, making it difficult for even Harvard Business School (MBA) graduates, the most prestigious in the United States.

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 15th local time, 23% of job seekers who graduated from Harvard Business School in the spring of 2024 are still looking for jobs three months later, up 3 percentage points from 20% a year ago.

"Harvard cannot be free from difficulties in the job market," said Kristen Fitzpatrick, a career development and alumni relations officer at Harvard Business School. "Just because you graduated Harvard does not differentiate you, but you have to have real capabilities."

Harvard was not the only graduate who studied at the prestigious business school to have difficulty finding a job he liked. Other top-level business school graduates, such as the Wharton School of Pennsylvania, Stanford University Business School, and New York University Stern Business School, have also seen their employment conditions deteriorate compared to the past.

A compilation of each graduate data showed that, with some exceptions, the proportion of top-rated business school graduates unable to find work three months after graduation in 2024 doubled compared to 2022.

The narrowing of employment doors for graduates of prestigious business schools is due to the trend of consulting companies as well as big tech (giant IT companies) such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, which mainly employed them.

Jenny Jenner, senior director of the Darden Business School's Career Center at the University of Virginia, said companies are changing the way they hire, adding, "Companies say they will no longer come to campus."

Universities seem to be stepping up job support programs. In the case of Harvard Business School, WSJ reported that it also opened a four-day intensive job preparation course focused on developing networking methods and ways to promote one's capabilities.