Moving the goalposts: how demand for a bachelor's degree is reshaping the workforce

This analysis of shifting workforce credential requirements finds a broad range of occupations where employers are seeking a bachelor's degree for jobs that formerly required less education, even when the actual skills required haven't changed or when this makes the position harder to fill. This phenomenon of 'upcredentialing', where employers seek college graduates for positions that used to require a high school diploma or other sub-baccalaureate training, has been much discussed but rarely quantified. The authors compared the education levels of workers currently employed in an...  [+] Show more

This analysis of shifting workforce credential requirements finds a broad range of occupations where employers are seeking a bachelor's degree for jobs that formerly required less education, even when the actual skills required haven't changed or when this makes the position harder to fill. This phenomenon of 'upcredentialing', where employers seek college graduates for positions that used to require a high school diploma or other sub-baccalaureate training, has been much discussed but rarely quantified. The authors compared the education levels of workers currently employed in an occupation - a measure of past employer preferences - with the education levels employers are currently demanding for the same occupation. The analysis finds strong evidence of changes in the American workforce, with notable shifts in the qualifications employers are seeking. Increasingly, employers are seeking baccalaureate talent for what have historically been sub-baccalaureate jobs. Labor analysts have generally pointed to two possible explanations for this degree inflation: either jobs are becoming more complex and require new skills (known as 'upskilling'), or employers have become more selective and favour more educated workers. This analysis suggests both possibilities are at work, depending on the specific occupation.

Edited excerpts from publication.