The tight labour market in the US is prompting employers to remove the need for a university degree as a requirement for many higher-paying jobs.
Google, Delta Air Lines and IBM have reduced educational requirements for certain positions and shifted hiring to focus more on skills and experience.
Job postings numbered 10.7 million openings in September compared with 5.8 million unemployed.
Technical positions have varying degree requirements depending on the industry, company, and strength of the labour market and economy.
More than 100 000 people in the US have completed Google’s online college-alternative program that offers training in digital marketing and project management.
Most positions at IBM no longer require a degree.
Delta eased its educational requirements for pilots at the start of this year, saying a four-year college degree was preferred but was no longer required of job applicants.
Walmart said it valued skills and knowledge gained through work experience; 75% of its US salaried store management started their careers in hourly jobs.
Blacks and Hispanics are less likely to have a college degree compared to whites and Asian people, and men are less likely than women.
Maryland reviewed degree requirements for every state job. After six months the number of state employees hired without a bachelor’s degree from May to August is up 41% year-on-year while the number of all employees hired is up 14%.
Philip Deitchman, the head of human resources at Maryland’s Department of Juvenile Services, said he previously declined job candidates without the right credentials as the department had strictly defined job requirements.
Deitchman said that since the policy change he was seeing more applicants and higher-quality job applicants
‘I would rather have someone with experience,’ he said. ‘It’s just something that should have been done years ago.’
[Image: Maura Nicolaita from Pixabay]