PARIS — Demand for graduates from business schools is rising this year, despite a hesitant global economic recovery, according to a survey of corporate recruiters published this month by the education and study abroad company Quacquarelli Symonds.

The survey showed that the rise in recruitment in emerging countries like China and India was far outstripping recruitment in Europe and North America, with demand for graduates with master of business administration degrees increasing 32 percent in the Asia-Pacific region this year, compared with 9 percent in North America and 3 percent in Europe, as companies reduced hiring during the global recession.

“M.B.A. demand among employers is cyclical and is tied to the strength of the global economy,” said Nunzio Quacquarelli, managing director of Quacquarelli Symonds. “In recent years, a growing number of companies around the world have seen a top M.B.A. as an essential management entry-level qualification.”

Reflecting a shift in the job market since the financial crisis, the pharmaceutical industry is now the highest-paying field for M.B.A. graduates. Graduates recruited into pharmaceutical companies earned an average of $92,274, according to the Quacquarelli Symonds report released Oct. 14, followed by those in financial services, with average pay of $90,926.