By The Numbers
By Ann Harrington

(FORTUNE Magazine) – Where do MBAs want to work? For the eighth year in a row, McKinsey was voted the most popular employer, according to Universum's annual survey of MBA candidates, while Citigroup surged past Goldman Sachs (usually the top-rated bank) to the No. 2 spot. Consultants like Bain and Boston Consulting Group fell in the rankings, but the Big Four accounting firms made a comeback. (Shut out of the top 50 in 2003, this year they were led by Deloitte at No. 11. See fortune.com/mba for the full list.)

Prospects are also brighter for MBAs themselves. Placement directors say they're seeing interest across all industries, especially in banking and consulting. "Business has picked up, and firms don't have a lot of manpower," says Peter Degnan, director of MBA career management at Wharton. Goldman Sachs, for example, plans to increase campus hiring by 30%. Last year 23% of recruiters surveyed by the Graduate Management Admission Council hired no MBAs at all, but there's good news for job seekers: Only 12% say they don't expect to hire any this year.

--Ann Harrington