MBA job market heats up

According to WSJ MBA hiring is up significantly from a year ago.  A Graduate Management Admission Council survey found 57% of full-time graduates had offers by mid-March, compared to 40% at the same time a year ago.  (Note: having an offer is not the same as accepting one.)  Finance and consulting opportunities have led the uptick, according to the article.  This mirrors the experience at NC State's Jenkins MBA, although many of our international students are facing difficulty finding jobs in the US. 

Having a hard time reconciling this story with the overall gloomy assessment of the jobs market that I posted three days ago?  Why would companies start spending more money on consultants as opposed to hiring more help directly (and thereby avoiding a 100% plus markup over salaries)?  Let's hope that the June jobs report is more upbeat.