AHMEDABAD: The global slowdown and hiring spree witnessed in the post-pandemic period haunted graduates of IIM-Ahmedabad’s one-year MBA programme for executives (PGPX) this year, as the highest maximum earning potential (MEP) offered was Rs 54.8 lakh per annum, a six-year low for the course.
This must rankle, especially since the highest-ever MEP of Rs 1.08 crore was offered last year (2023), whereas the average highest MEP from 2018 to 2022 – five previous years excluding 2023 – was Rs 70.56 lakh.Thus, the highest MEP in 2024 was about 29% less than the average.
On the brighter side, the median MEP for the students increased from Rs 33 lakh in 2023 to Rs 35 lakh this year, which was the second highest in the past six years. Out of the 105 recruiters, 67 were first-timers, one of the highest in recent years.
The data was shared in the Indian Placement Reporting Standards (IPRS) report for IIM-A’s PGPX, released on Monday. The report indicated that 126 out of 147 students had opted for placements. While 121 accepted offers, five remained unplaced.
This is the second time after 2020 – the pandemic year – that five students did not get the desired offer. Three of them have opted for entrepreneurship, whereas two are joining their family business.
Sectoral analysis indicated that consulting remained the biggest recruiter with 26 offers, followed by 16 in IT consulting, 13 in banking, financial service and insurance (BFSI), and 12 each in IT solution and pharmaceutical/healthcare, among others. After 15 offers in 2021, this is the second highest by the pharmaceutical/healthcare sector after the pandemic. Another sector that witnessed year-on-year growth was energy, which saw seven placements, compared to five last year.
Prof Vishwanath Pingali, chairperson of the placement committee, said the premier B-school attracted several new recruiters. “Healthcare and pharmaceuticals, and energy could be seen as emerging sectors with renewable energy and EVs,” he said.
Compared to the five and six international placements in 2022 and 2023, this year saw two international placements, both at Frankfurt and in the IT sector.
