The 2025 GMAC Corporate Recruiters Survey quizzed 1,108 recruiters—two-thirds of whom worked at Fortune 100 or 500 firms—from 46 countries across a range of topics during the first quarter of 2025. Compared with the previous year, the study revealed that the percentage of employers who considered knowledge of AI tools important rose more than for any other skill.
The report indicated the majority of employers expect AI to become the most important skill over the next five years, while it also highlighted the enduring value of business education with the skills most valued by employers today being those typically associated with what’s learned at business school.
Value of AI in the workplace outpaces other skills
Among recruiters participating in the GMAC survey in 2025, 31% indicated that knowledge of using AI tools was valued when hiring business school graduates. This marked a 5% increase from when employers were asked the same question in 2024.
The only other skills that grew in demand over the same period were data analysis and interpretation, and technology and IT skills, both of which rose by 2%. Demand for leadership and human capital management skills remained consistent, while all other skills listed fell in employer value.
When employers were asked which skills they predicted would become the most important when hiring over the next five years, skills using AI tools emerged as the most common answer, identified by 23% of recruiters. Technology and IT skills were the third-most important future skill area, while strategic thinking was second.
The percentage of employers predicting that AI tools would become important rose by 3% between 2024 and 2025. This was outpaced by just one skill: data analysis and interpretation, which rose by a significant 6%. Communication skills also rose in value at the same rate as AI skills.
The results indicate that AI fluency, particularly knowledge of the various tools available and how to use them to influence business strategies and decisions, will be paramount for future business school graduates and is already influencing hiring decisions. However, GMAC noted that the study results were within the margin of error and could be influenced by methodological changes between surveys.
Strategic thinking and problem solving remain top priorities
Despite the evidence of growing demand for AI skills, as well as other technological attributes, the survey indicated the most important skills employers value in hires today remain those traditionally associated with business education.
Problem solving, communication, and strategic thinking were the three leading skills identified in the survey; their value today was perceived as significantly higher than that of data analysis and interpretation (10th), technology and IT skills (12th), and skills in AI tools (16th).
This is the second consecutive year that problem-solving and strategic thinking have been highlighted by employers as their most valued skills when hiring. In total, 54% of recruiters valued problem-solving as most important, while 51% ranked communication and strategic thinking, respectively.
The fourth most in-demand skill among employers was adaptability, valued by 46% of recruiters. A number of subsequent skills were rated as valuable by 44% of recruiters, they were: initiative, time management and project management, interpersonal and teamwork skills, decision-making, and leadership.
When looking to the future, despite the predominance of AI and tech-related skills, strategic thinking and problem-solving still ranked among the top five skills employers expect to be important over the coming five years, earning similar shares of recruiters’ votes at 22% and 20%, respectively. The survey noted that these skills have been part of the core business school experience since “long before OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT in 2022.”
Employers seeking strategic use of AI
With AI increasingly becoming important for employers, the GMAC survey dug deeper into the detail regarding how exactly employers want to see new hires wielding AI and technology-related skills.
Among the 31% who valued AI skills as important today, the majority (63%) said the core value was in developing business strategy and making decisions. A further 59% highlighted acquiring knowledge and learning new business skills, while 53% identified generating content ranging from videos to emails as important to them.
Other key considerations for employers regarding how business school graduates use AI included conducting research (51%) and using AI ethically (41%).
Those recruiters who highlighted technology and IT skills as important to their hiring decisions were also asked to specify the preferred use cases attached to these skills.
The most important area where business school graduates could apply their knowledge and skills was in cloud-based technology (52%), followed by data visualization (41%), statistical analysis (34%), and internet of things (30%). Smaller numbers of recruiters also highlighted programming, database tools, blockchain, virtual reality, and Web3 technologies.
Elsewhere, the survey revealed a growth in demand for business school talent among employers, particularly MBAs. It also explored employers’ perceptions of Gen Z professionals as they enter the workplace.
