The MBA CSC, an association of business school career management offices and companies who hire MBA students, recently released the findings of its Spring 2012 Recruiting Trends Survey. The findings show that both on-campus recruiting opportunities and full-time job postings have increased for most schools worldwide.

These findings echo results released in May by the Graduate Management Admissions Council‘s annual Corporate Recruiters Survey. In that poll,  64 percent of  graduates of full time, two-year MBA programs had job offers in hand—nearly matching the all-time record set in 2001, when 66 percent of students had employment offers.

The MBA CSC survey findings reveal that 51 percent of respondents report an increase in on-campus recruiting for full-time jobs, and 69 percent of respondents report an increase in full-time job postings. Although recruiting has slowed slightly compared with previous years–suggesting an overall market stabilization—most schools are seeing growth, with only 11 percent noting a decline in on-campus recruiting activity.

Nicole Hall, president of the MBA Career Services Council and director of the career management center at Wake Forest Schools of Business, says “Companies have continued to expand their on campus presence and recruiting activities over the last few years following the recession. The survey results confirm that schools have retained that growth, while many have seen continued growth in 2012.”

Increases in recruiting activity are occurring across most sectors, with consulting and technology showing the largest increase. Financial services and government showed the largest decrease in full-time recruiting activity.

Schools are optimistic about internship hiring, with 80 percent of respondents reporting that at least 75 percent of students received an internship offer. Also, 72 percent of respondents expect internship opportunities to increase compared with last year.

When asked about hiring methods, alumni-initiated hiring saw the largest increase (58 percent reported an increase). This seems to be a direct result of efforts on the part of career services offices to increase alumni engagement through referrals and networking events.

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“The economy may not have come out of the downturn entirely,” says Rebecca Joffrey, Director of Career Education at Dartmouth Tuck, “But MBA talent is very much in demand; I think it’s because companies realize that they have to grow their way out of the recession and MBA grads can really effectively help them do that.”

Companies are ready to fill the employment gaps that they could not afford to fill in the last few years, Joffrey explains. The work is still there.

Joffrey continues to explain that corporate recruiters have had to shift their priorities because of the recession. A “global mindset” has become a more valued attribute, as has “commercial instinct.”

Companies are changing the way they recruit (for many this means cutting back) in response to the recession, and schools must work to accommodate such changes. Joffrey describes the steps Tuck took in the last year to help graduates find jobs, including maintaining corporate relationships, encouraging alumni to interact with current students (assisting them in networking and the job search), and partnering with other schools to set up interview forums.

Current students and graduates must also shift their priorities in accordance with the changing economic landscape. Joffrey encourages her students to be open-minded about job opportunities—both in job scope and in location. “Don’t just assume that the opportunities ahead are the same ones that were there before,” she advises. “The playing field for the MBA degree is going to be very international in character in the times to come and students must be well-prepared.”

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The 2,367 employers represent 1,960 companies, of which 171 are US Fortune 500 companies and 129 are Global Fortune 500 companies.

Major findings from the 2010 report include:

• The employment outlook for MBAs or master’s level business graduates in 2010 has improved compared with 2009.
• 60% of the participating companies plan expanding their customer bases in 2010. This number is up from 48% in 2009.
• 5% more companies plan to hire this year than last year.
• Companies reported a mere 10% in the number of available positions this year, as composed to a huge 50% decrease last year.
• MBA graduates are in highest demand for jobs in the health care, pharmaceuticals, and consulting sectors, while demand is greatest for Master in Management graduates in the fields of consulting, health care and pharmaceuticals, and energy and utilities sectors. Specialized M.A.s in business graduates are in high demand for jobs in finance and accounting.

For more survey details, see the full report.

Related Accepted.com Blog Posts:

• More Students Head to Mom and Pop For Jobs
• B-School Students See Light at the End of the Job Market Tunnel
• GMAC: MBA Employers Express Job Market Optimism

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* In the State of the Union address, President Obama urged colleges to “get serious about cutting their own costs.” To assist in the goal of making higher education more affordable to the greatest number of students, Obama plans to increase federal support for education by 6% in 2011. Obama also supports the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act which, if passed by Congress, would eliminate bank-based federal student loans. This bill, according to the presdient, “will finally end the unwarranted taxpayer subsidies that go to banks for student loans.”A more lenient payback plan is also being discussed. (The Chronicle)

* According to The Chronicle last week college endowments have declined by about 23% in the last two years. In fact, the investment return for 2009 was the worst return recorded in the history of the endowment study, at -18.7%. According to John D. Walda, president of the National Association of College and University Business Officers, however, “the picture for endowments is a lot cheerier than it was a year ago.” Optimism for the future, though, doesn’t help the fact that certain schools that had been dependent on endowments are now in pretty bad shape, especially considering the sizable loans they’re now forced to take out. The only reason why these schools didn’t go under was because of fortunate investment returns from previous years.

* The Moscow Times reports that “Russia’s business education market was among the world’s worst hit in 2009.” In some cases, admissions fell about 50% from last year. Some schools are even dipping into their own funds to create lending programs for students in order to maintain adequate student enrollment. Besides the fact that students (or their sponsoring companies) can no longer afford to pay for business schools, students in general seem to have lost interest in pursuing an MBA, at least for the time being. However, despite the decrease in MBA program enrollment, interest in EMBA programs in Russia is on the rise.

* Women are equally represented in medical and law schools, but still lag well behind in numbers in the b-school sphere. “Business Schools Sweeten Lures for Women,” a recent article from WeNews, suggests that in order to increase female enrollment in America’s business schools, MBA programs are forced to lure women in by their sweet teeth, both figuratively and literally. Recruitment events for female MBA prospects are popping up all over the country, including a private party at New York City’s Dylan’s Candy Bar.

* Do students benefit from being in a diverse educational climate? Is affirmative action, or “race-conscious admissions,” justified? Will diversity improve education? These are questions raised by Peter Schmidt, author of a recent Chronicle article on campus diversity. The answer: It depends (of course). If situations are handled optimally then educational benefits will increase and the inherent problems of affirmative action will decrease. Most agree that affirmative action is not a policy that can be accepted on its own, but most be implemented along with other educational and diversity initiatives and even at that, with caution. Still, many universities are skeptical of the educational benefits derived from race-conscious admissions and believe that accepting more qualified students will benefit the students and the school, both long- and short-term, more than were they to focus on boosting classroom diversity.

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• This MBA Podcaster video includes valuable information on Stanford’s MBA application and b-school experience, including an interview with Linda Abraham, Accepted’s founder and president, about the application process and Stanford’s essays, as well as up close and personal tidbits from Stanford students themselves. An important focus is the entrepreneurial influence of the Silicon Valley.Stanford’s round 2 deadline is January 6. Check out this video!

• Fins.com reporter Kyle Stock says that the interest in finance-related jobs is on the rise, contrary to what one might think considering the recession. One reason for this increase, suggests Stock, is that while the economy may be in shambles, the cost of business school remains exorbitantly high. There are still high paying finance jobs on the market—albeit fewer of them—and new MBAs continue to strive for them.

• BusinessWeek’s recent article, “Crackdown on China GMAT Cheating,” elaborates on recent measures the GMAC (Graduate Management Admission Council) is taking to catch GMAT-takers who have prepped using illegal test-prep material from Chinese websites. The websites, which offer a sneak peak at copyrighted GMAT questions, are being shut down. Furthermore, the GMAC is using proxy search gadgets to catch users of the sites and punishing users by revoking their test scores and banning them from taking the GMAT for five years. Other security measures at test sites aimed at potential cheaters, include heightened observation and palm vein reading.

• Another BusinessWeek report, “Business School: Experienced Applicants Only,” explores the heated topic of pre-MBA work experience. The article suggests that the one-time expectation of 5+ years of work experience is leading many MBA applicants to switch to part-time program enrollment. Leaving the workforce after five years of work at the age of 28 or 30 is a lot more difficult in this economy than it was a few years ago. On the other hand, having at leaset some work experience before an MBA makes finding a job post-MBA easier.

• QS TopMBA‘s recent Salary and Recruitment Trends 2009 Report claims that the drop in North American MBA recruitment is “a blip” and numbers will bounce back up to normal in 2010. Its survey takes into account the opinions of popular recruiting companies like Bank of America, Dell, Goldman Sachs, and Procter & Gamble when determining that the job market for new MBAs will not be as bleak as it has been in the last year. Dan Beaudry, QS TopMBA Employer Relations Manager adds a note of further optimism: “The outlook for 2010 is better and we do not expect many more drastic cuts. If consumer demand picks up and confidence returns, employers might re-assess their plans upwards during the spring.”

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These are the kinds of questions I am asked in emails and on forums. And of course I don’t know the answer with certainty. But I do think that there is a certain “group think” in the media. In the boom times, everything was booming and the good times were going to roll forever. In the bad, everything is gloomy and the bottom is nowhere to be seen.

In any case, Harvard Business School’s Director Dee Leopold posted today a Class of 2009 Employment Update. In her words, “As of today, 77% of those seeking employment have received offers.” She doesn’t provide details about salary levels, industries, or companies, or the percentage with offers at this time last year, which I assume was higher. Regardless, 77% is a high percentage for February.

Yes, these are Harvard grads, and those stats are not that high at many other schools, but the sky has not yet fallen down. MBA’s graduating this year are getting jobs. And that can’t be said for many of the recently laid off MBA wannabes pounding the pavement.