The U.S. higher education system could substantially increase the quality of life of the average American worker over the next decade by rewarding more credentials that align with middle-skills occupations, according to new research from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
The economic research and policy institute analyzed 107 occupations offering at least $55,000 in yearly earnings across five occupational groups: blue-collar work, healthcare, management and professional office, protective services and STEM.
Middle-skills credentials, such as a non-degree certificate or associate’s degree, offer the most viable pathway for early-career workers without a bachelor’s degree to reach these yearly earnings or more, the report contends. However, higher education institutions undersupplied the workforce with such credentials in four out of five occupational groups.
The Georgetown center projects a 712,000 annual shortage in middle-skills credentials until at least 2032. As a result, many Americans are entering these fields without the qualifications to earn more than $55,000 annually.
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“Credential shortages are troubling because the U.S. is in dire need of qualified workers to keep our infrastructure intact, our communities safe, and our industries at the forefront of innovation,” said Emma Nyhof McLeod, lead author and senior policy analyst. “We must do more to improve access to and boost the attainment of credentials that align with high-paying middle-skills occupations and to smooth the transition from school to employment.”
Here is how each occupational group ranked by severity of high-paying middle-skill credential shortages:
- Blue-collar work: 360,800
- Management and professional office: 253,000
- STEM: 87,500
- Protective services: 10,600
Healthcare was the only occupational group that didn’t lack a supply of middle-skill credentials. This is due in part to employers increasingly interested in filling open positions with bachelor’s degree holders.
Increasing diversity in middle-skill credential offerings
White men held the majority of high-paying middle-skills jobs in four out of five occupational groups.
Furthermore, two out of five white men also possessed a middle-skills credential that aligned with a high-paying job, second only to Asian men. Women—especially minority women—were the least likely to have such a credential.
“Credential shortages present an opportunity to diversify high-paying middle-skills occupations and strengthen the American economy by drawing qualified workers from the widest talent pool possible,” said co-author and Director Jeff Strohl. “But first, we need to address long-standing disparities in credential attainment and the labor market.”
Not a sure-fire path
The research concedes that earning a certificate or associate’s degree does not guarantee learners will land a high-paying position. As a result, more action will be necessary to close gaps in the high-paying middle-skills workforce beyond improving equity in credential attainment.
The Center on Education and Workforce offered six ways K12, higher education and industry could increase the number of American workers earning high-paying, middle-skills credentials.
- Improve the capacity to collect labor-market data and make it more accessible to prospective students.
- Expose students to a variety of subjects in middle and high school.
- Increase college support services.
- Provide work-based learning opportunities and build partnerships with employers.
- Integrate career guidance with academic advising and other student support services and provide ample opportunities for students to connect with employers.
- Address bias in hiring and promotion and ensure a welcoming workplace for underrepresented groups.
