Expanding Public Sector Career Opportunities

While college degrees have provided benefits to countless Americans, they are rarely the only potential path to obtaining the skills necessary to do a job.

In fact, only about 35 percent of Americans hold a four-year degree—yet roughly 60 percent of public jobs require one. This disparity ignores the more than 70 million Americans without a degree who have years of valuable work experience to offer.

Arbitrary college degree requirements for public sector jobs often needlessly restrict the pool of otherwise qualified applicants, limiting opportunity and denying state governments access to the most qualified talent. It’s insulting to hard-working Americans and frustrating for hiring managers.

Removing degree requirements from jobs that do not need them will reduce unemployment and spur economic growth. It would require government agencies to specify necessary job skills or experience and justify any degree requirements they ask for. This change will enable states and government agencies to quickly fill job vacancies with skilled applicants who want to work and help states to operate more efficiently.