More employers plan to hire MBAs and other business school graduates this year, according to a global survey of corporate recruiters by the Graduate Management Admission Council, which owns and administrates the GMAT exam. Globally, 80 percent of employers plan to hire MBAs in 2014 — that compares to 73 percent in 2013 and is up from approximately 50 percent in 2009.

The proportion of employers planning to hire other types of business school graduates is also up from last year. Fifty percent of companies plan to hire master in management graduates, up from 45 percent in 2013; 45 percent plan to hire master of accounting graduates, up from 36 percent in 2013; and 44 percent plan to hire master of finance candidates, up from 39 percent in last year.

“More companies in all sectors and across the world plan to hire business school graduates, with projected hiring rates the highest for all degree types since the Great Recession started in 2009,” said GMAC President and CEO Sangeet Chowfla. “MBAs have always been valued by employers, but this survey shows that as the economy improves, employers see MBAs as a good investment into their future.”

Seventy-four percent of employers plan to hire bachelor's degree graduates, down slightly from the 76 percent peak in 2011 but much higher than the 56 percent that hired in 2009.

Median base salaries employers expect to offer MBAs are $95,000 in the U.S. and $69,000 in Europe, compared with $50,000 for U.S. bachelor's graduates and $41,000 for European bachelor's graduates. Projected median MBA base salary in Asia-Pacific is $21,340, reflecting much lower per-capita income in the region, according to the study.

The Graduate Management Admission Council, the European Foundation for Management Development and the MBA Career Services and Employer Alliance surveyed 565 employers in 44 countries for the corporate survey of recruiters; 58 percent of respondents were from the United States.