With the shutdown of educational institutions and the economic slowdown caused by the pandemic, the MBA students awaiting placements are prone to serious bouts of pessimism. Based on a study conducted by a Chennai based market-research agency Kaybase, among a sample of 230 students from six business schools across the country, as many as 66 per cent of them said they were either “very pessimistic” or “somewhat pessimistic” about the placement prospects in 2021.
Nearly 70 per cent of the respondents were from B-schools in tier 1 or tier 2 cities. Of the 230 students surveyed, 143 men and 87 women students participated in the survey. The men recorded a higher percentage of pessimism overall. Moreover, students specialising in Finance and Operation, showed very low optimism, compared to specialisations such as, Marketing and HR.
The study shows that the impact will be three-pronged; fewer companies will come to the campus for placement, and the companies that do come will have fewer openings. Inevitably, the starting salaries on offer will see a dip.
Interestingly, respondents from IIMs and the management departments of IITs were relatively more confident about placement prospects despite the ongoing stress.