Such headlines have dominated the news this year, painting a dismal job market for management graduates. As the placement season wraps up, many B-school graduates are still without their dream jobs. Amidst these challenging times, Business Today and Marketing and Development Research Associates (MDRA) have completed this year’s survey of India’s Best B-schools—the 25th edition overall and the 12th in collaboration with MDRA.
And for the fourth consecutive year, IIM Calcutta has secured the top spot among institutes offering the two-year MBA programme. ISB also retains its leading position in the Executive MBA space, while upGrad and IIM Ahmedabad continue to dominate in edtech and short-term executive programmes, respectively (see the rankings starting page 120). However, despite the top B-schools retaining their ranks, challenges are mounting.
In an era where digitisation and Gen AI are poised to reshape the corporate sector, B-schools have a crucial role to play in bridging the skills gap. The lacklustre placement outcomes this year are a sign of deeper structural issues. Clearly, there is a shift in the global economic narrative—from protectionist policies aimed at keeping jobs at home, to the disruption caused by Gen AI, and the rise of sunrise sectors like electric vehicles, renewables, and climate-focussed sectors.
Start-ups are also challenging the conventional ways of doing business. “Every company, whether small or large, is capturing vast amounts of data. .