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| Three
Education Pathways To Good Jobs |
Three Education Pathways To Good Jobs: High School, Middle Skills,
And Bachelor's Degree
by
Anthony P. Carnevale, Jeff Strohl, Neil Ridley, and Artem Gulish
The
economy that once provided good jobs for young workers with a high school
education or less now favors workers with at least some education and training
beyond high school. Whereas two out of three entry-level jobs in the industrial
economy demanded a high school diploma or less, now two out of three jobs
demand at least some education or training beyond high school. While
automation, globalization, and upskilling have prompted this massive economic
restructuring, there are still three pathways to good jobs.
What
is a Good Job?
We
define a good job as one that pays at least $35,000 for workers 25-44 and at
least $45,000 for workers 45-64. These jobs:
➤pay
median earnings of $56,000 for workers with less than a BA
➤pay
median earnings of $65,000 when including workers with a BA or higher
High
School
The
future of the high school economy remains uncertain, but it continues to
provide good jobs. In 1991, there were 14.7 million good jobs for workers with
no more than high school diploma, but that number has declined to 12.9 million
by 2016. About 27 percent (2.9 million) of young workers ages 25-34 with no
more than a high school diploma have a good job, which is down only slightly
from 29 percent in 1991. Overall, the high school pathway provides 20 percent
of all good jobs. The good job opportunities it provides are primarily for men.
The
high school pathway includes many workers who started in lower-paying jobs and
worked their way up to managers, supervisors, and other senior positions across
a variety of fields, such as construction, manufacturing, retail, food services,
and office support, among others. It also includes truck drivers, carpenters, drillers,
oil and gas equipment operators, construction equipment operators, and other industrial
machinery operators.
Middle
Skills
The
middle-skills pathway is comprised of workers with more education than a high
school diploma, but less than a BA including, certificates, certifications,
licenses, associate’s degrees, and some college coursework. This pathway is in
the midst of major transformation from traditional blue-collar jobs to more
skilled technical jobs across skilled-services and blue-collar industries. In
contrast to high school jobs, this pathway continues to grow. Workers with
middle skills have 16 million good jobs, or 24 percent of all good jobs.
The
middle-skills pathway includes those in traditional middle skills jobs, such as
firefighters, law-enforcement officers, electricians, mechanics, installers, repairers,
technicians of industrial equipment, and highway maintenance workers; it also
includes those in skilled and technical jobs, such as healthcare technologists
and technicians, computer control programmers and operators, surveying and
mapping technicians, and information and record clerks.
Bachelor's
Degree
The
bachelor’s degree (BA) has become the premier pathway to economic opportunity.
The BA now accounts for 56 percent of all good jobs, due to greater demand for
workers with at least a four-year college education. Nearly three out of four
BA jobs (74%) are good jobs.
This
pathway includes a majority of professional and technical jobs, including those
held by doctors, lawyers, engineers, accountants, computer programmers, journalists,
architects, and managers, among many others.
═════════►
In
the post-World War II period, workers with a high school diploma or less were
able to attain jobs with middle-class wages in American industry. Good jobs1
were available in manufacturing and other blue-collar industries that employed
large numbers of high school educated workers. But as automation,
globalization, and related phenomena have led to major structural changes in
the American economy, economic opportunity has shifted toward more educated
workers with higher skill levels. Whereas two out of three entry-level jobs in
the industrial economy demanded a high school diploma or less, now two out of
three jobs demand at least some education or training beyond high school.
Workplace
2018:
Three Education Pathways To Good Jobs, Georgetown
2018: A
Stronger Nation: Learning beyond high school builds American talent, Lumina
2017: UpSkilling
Playbook for Employers, Aspen
Institute
2015:
Skills Gap Report, NAM-MI
2008:
Reach Higher America: Overcoming Crisis in the U.S. Workforce, NCAL
2007:
America’s Perfect Storm, ETS
2007:
Can California Import Enough College Grad's. Meet Workforce Needs?, PPIC
2007:
Mounting Pressures: Workforce . . . Adult Ed, NCAL
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