Employers Rethink Need for College Degrees in Tight Labor Market

rdquinn

Dec 2

The tight labor market is prompting more employers to eliminate one of the biggest requirements for many higher-paying jobs: the need for a college degree.

Companies such as Alphabet Inc.'s Google, Delta Air Lines Inc. and International Business Machines Corp. have reduced educational requirements for certain positions and shifted hiring to focus more on skills and experience. Maryland this year cut college-degree requirements for many state jobs—leading to a surge in hiring—and incoming Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro campaigned on a similar initiative.

Wall Street Journal 11-26-22

How about that?
For more years than I care to remember, I have said that the vast majority of jobs cannot justify requiring a bachelors degree.

During my entire working career there was not one job that actually required a degree. Yet if I had not spent the time and money for a BA, I would not have advanced. Whoever heard of a Vice President of an S&P 500 company without a degree?

Yes, certain skills may be necessary, but they can be acquired in many ways without four years in college. Education in many forms is important, but routinely linking a degree to specific jobs is unfair and probably deprives employers of skilled, motivated and productive workers.

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