According to a new study conducted by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, of the 11.6 million jobs created since 2010, about 99 percent have been filled by individuals with at least some college education.
The study showed that in terms of education, only 80,000 positions create went to individuals with a high school diploma or less.
Tamara Jayasundera, one of the three authors of the study, commented that its findings hint that “it’s not just a factor of a more educated population, it’s how the labor market is changing. The labor market is demanding a more skilled workforce.”
In other words, even in industries that have historically not demanded a lot of education— such as manufacturing— a majority of newer hirees have further education. Automation and workplace technology have only further hindered those without a degree.
The study’s authors warn that the days when an employee without a college degree could work themselves up to a mid-tier job with benefits, are likely gone. There will be exceptions to this rule, but they will be few and far between.
They conclude that “the post-Great Recession economy has divided the country along a fault line demarcated by education. For those with at least some college education, the job market is robust… By contrast, workers with a high school diploma or less hear about an economic recovery and wonder what people are talking about.”
This year marked the first time in U.S. history in which there were more individuals in the workplace with at least a college degree than those with a high school diploma or less.
