At the QS Higher Ed Summit: Asia Pacific 2025 in Seoul, panelists questioned whether business schools are keeping pace with the skills economy and reported a marked shift in employer expectations. Carol Zhang, head of HR at Huatai International, said employers want “mix and match” talent who combine foundational business knowledge with capabilities in artificial intelligence, advanced tech and big data. She added, “Looking for students with a single skillset is no longer sustainable. We need the ideal profile for the role.” The discussion framed employability as a blend of technical breadth and learning agility rather than narrow credentialing.
Business schools are responding through a variety of changes to curriculum and experiential learning. Raymond Xiao, head of MSc career development at HKUST Business School, described curriculum redesigns, credit-bearing internships and corporate advisory boards as tools to better align programmes with market needs. Students are also applying skills in competitions, hackathons and artificial intelligence-driven problem-solving challenges. Xiao noted, “You don’t have to be an expert in developing artificial intelligence tools, but you must be an expert in knowing how those artificial intelligence tools can solve problems.” Agnieszka Sypniewska of Tuck School of Business said the emphasis is shifting toward leadership, persuasion and strategic decision-making: “As AI replaces lower-level skills, the premium on strategic, human-centred capabilities is growing and that’s where our focus is now.”
Despite progress, the panel highlighted persistent readiness gaps and uneven student confidence with new technologies. Zhang warned that many graduates still lack an operational understanding of organisations and said, “we don’t see a work ready mindset.” Sabine King of UNSW Business School described efforts to bring cohorts to a shared baseline through interdisciplinary courses and career-focused Artificial Intelligence learning, noting institutions “launched Career Artificial Intelligence modules” so students can use artificial intelligence to explore career paths and align values and strengths with roles. Moderator Ines Drieselmann concluded that business schools are at an inflection point where experimentation, small-scale pilots and deeper university-industry partnerships will shape the path forward in the skills economy.
