No College Degree? That’s a Growing Hurdle to Getting Hired
20th March 2016
Thirty-seven percent of companies say they hire college graduates for positions that in the past were primarily held by people with only high school degrees [sic], and 26 percent say they hire people with master’s degrees for jobs that used to go to candidates with bachelor’s degrees.
Asked why, 60 percent of the employers hiring college grads over high school grads said skills for those positions have evolved, requiring more highly educated workers. More than half said a tight labor market has allowed them to attract college grads to jobs that traditionally haven’t called for higher education.
My theory is that requiring a college degree is the only way employers can be sure of finding someone with what used to be a high-school education. It’s not that the work is more difficult, it’s that the schools these days suck.