According to a survey conducted by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), 54% of employers consider graduates from both formats of equal value. 

However, the survey also found that 66% of employers said those with traditional in-person degrees have stronger leadership and communication skills compared to online-educated students. 

The data was gleaned from global lending firms, with half of the employers from Fortune 500 companies. While this year’s results were more or less split, there was an edge given to those with in-person education. 

In 2021 the amount of people who viewed them as equal grew 34% and 60% in 2022 on the back of pandemic measures forcing people to stay home. So the edge this year shifting back towards in-person studies could signify a shift back to traditional ways of doing  learning in the post-pandemic world. 

“As time moves further away from the Covid and lockdown era, we’re seeing a small increase in favour of in-person programs by employers worldwide,” said Nalisha Patel, Europe Regional Director at GMAC.

According to her, the issue isn’t that employers see online programs as a worse education, but that in-person graduates have stronger business acumen than online candidates. 

These perceptions varied by both region and sector. For example, 75% of employers in Asia say the two types of education are of equal value, compared to just 27% in the United States. The survey also found that consulting firms tended to lean more towards in-person educated people, with only 32% seeing the two styles as equal. 

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Along with the perceptions towards education, the report also uncovered some skills that are considered crucial by employers on the backdrop of increased global connectivity. 

Communication skills, data analysis, and strategy expertise are expected to grow in importance, while multilingualism, active listening,  and cross-cultural competence will become “indispensable” over the next five years. 

In Scotland, more than three quarters of students support face-to-face education over remote learning, and only 38% of those doing distance learning said they were happy according to a poll taken during the covid pandemic.