--- title: The MBA vs inflation - The Hustle description: Tech layoffs could mean more potential applicants. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/264238316-HS-News-Brief_2023-03-13T010211.426Z.webp --- # The MBA vs inflation ![Jacob Cohen](https://thehustle.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IMG_5670-1-modified-768x768.png?width=48&height=48&name=IMG_5670-1-modified-768x768.png) [Jacob Cohen](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/jacob-cohen) [Jacob Cohen Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/ImJacobCohen) Published: March 13, 2023 Updated: October 11, 2023 With [128k+](https://layoffs.fyi/) layoffs and counting in the tech industry this year, business schools — weathering a [25% dip](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-08/business-schools-admission-requirements-softened-for-laid-off-tech-workers?sref=3Ac2yX40) in domestic applications — are hoping to scoop up some of this talent. ![how MBAs stack up against inflation](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/264238316-HS-News-Brief_2023-03-13T010211.426Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=264238316-HS-News-Brief_2023-03-13T010211.426Z.webp) - Some programs are waiving requirements for standardized test scores for people who were recently laid off. Others are tossing application fees. Yet the economic downturn isn’t [as bad as 2008](https://thehustle.co/01042023-masters-degrees/), and inflation has complicated the picture. Can an MBA salary beat the rising cost of living? #### **It depends on how you use it** Per data collected by *Bloomberg*, in 2022, the median salary gain between students’ pre-MBA jobs and their first job after graduation was [$85k](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/storythreads/2023-02-22/the-future-of-business-schools-how-mba-programs-are-changing?sref=3Ac2yX40). Between 2018 and 2022, the median growth in MBA earnings was 28.1%, compared to 18.7% for all US workers and 17.6% inflation. MBA graduates who went into consulting and technology, ~50% of grads, fared the best in terms of scoring median salaries that have outpaced inflation. Of course, the tech sector isn’t exactly thriving right now. And it’s important to note — despite being “masters” of business, MBAs aren’t immune from inflation. Between 2018 and 2022, around half of new MBA grads entered fields where the median growth in compensation did not keep pace with inflation. Topics: [Economy](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/economy) ## Follow us on social media prev next - ![Degrees of separation: As college enrollment drops, trade school sign-ups rise](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/869946443-19-News-Brief_2023-04-24T001028.648Z.webp) ### Degrees of separation: As college enrollment drops, trade school sign-ups rise - ![Why are there so many tech layoffs?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/2012563462-HS-News-Brief_2023-01-24T002724.255Z.webp) ### Why are there so many tech layoffs? - ![Will ‘premiumization’ disrupt the economy?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/104571956-HS-News-Brief_2023-03-07T001305.809Z.webp) ### Will ‘premiumization’ disrupt the economy? - ![Americans want revenge on companies for bad service](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/116477441-HS-News-Brief_2023-03-08T004841.786Z.webp) ### Americans want revenge on companies for bad service - ![What old sitcoms reveal about America’s rising cost of housing](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1223022782-httpsthe-hustle.hubspot.comhubfsDaily20Newsletter20ImagesMarch2029202023sunday_story_vis.webp) ### What old sitcoms reveal about America’s rising cost of housing - ![Working hardly or hardly working? Americans’ on-the-job hours are dropping](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1196954204-19-News-Brief_2023-04-09T224253.504Z.webp) ### Working hardly or hardly working? Americans’ on-the-job hours are dropping - ![What is supercore inflation?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/46898437-HS-News-Brief_2023-03-13T231918.703Z.webp) ### What is supercore inflation? - ![The housing market posted its biggest drop since 2008, but it’s still up](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/468068057-HS-News-Brief_2023-02-24T004345.613Z.webp) ### The housing market posted its biggest drop since 2008, but it’s still up - ![What cardboard can tell us about the economy](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1124914710-HS-News-Brief_2023-02-03T015832.977Z.webp) ### What cardboard can tell us about the economy - ![What’s happening with wage growth?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/683568100-HS-News-Brief_2023-01-03T004649.353Z.webp) ### What’s happening with wage growth? Pop up for Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Get the 5-minute news brief keeping 2.5M+ innovators in the loop. Always free. 100% fresh. No bullsh*t. JOIN FREE ### 100% Free CRM Nurture and grow your business with customer relationship management software. Signup for a free account Close modal ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Jacob Cohen", "url" : "https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/author/jacob-cohen" }, "datePublished" : "2023-03-13T08:04:28.000Z", "headline" : "The MBA vs inflation", "image" : [ "https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/264238316-HS-News-Brief_2023-03-13T010211.426Z.webp" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/03132023-mba-vs-inflation", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject" } } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "#article", "@type" : "NewsArticle", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Jacob Cohen", "url" : "https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/jacob-cohen" }, "dateModified" : "2023-10-11T19:30:53+0000", "datePublished" : "2023-03-13T08:04:28+0000", "headline" : "The MBA vs inflation", "image" : [ "https://7355427.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7355427/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/264238316-HS-News-Brief_2023-03-13T010211.426Z.webp" ], "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 112, "url" : "https://fs.hubspotusercontent00.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/Blog%202021/Images/Logos/HubSpot%20Logo%20112X112.svg", "width" : 112 }, "name" : "HubSpot", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.facebook.com/hubspot", "https://twitter.com/hubspot" ], "url" : "https://www.hubspot.com" }, "speakable" : { "@type" : "SpeakableSpecification", "xPath" : [ "//title", "/html/head/meta[@name='description']/@content" ] } } ```