Almost half (49%) of Human Resources professionals expect that a higher education level will be required for most jobs within that time frame, according to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Achieve. And 46% said that most jobs today already require a higher education level than a decade ago.
Manufacturing topped the list of industries predicting that most of their sector’s jobs will require higher education levels—with 59% of surveyed HR professionals in manufacturing indicating so, followed by the health industry (56%), high-tech (51%), state/local government (51%), and professional services (49%).
Already, about half of HR professionals in health care (54%), manufacturing (52%), state/local government (48%), and the federal government (46%) report higher education requirements today compared to 10 years ago
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“Today’s tough job market means that many individuals are currently in jobs for which they have educational qualifications beyond those required for the position,” said Jennifer Schramm, GPHR, manager of workplace trends and forecasting at SHRM (www.shrm.org). “But this may not be the case down the line—education requirements are climbing for jobs across the board.”
Across the nine industries included in the survey, 51% of HR professionals reported that there are more jobs with specific technical requirements today compared to 10 years ago, and 60% expect even more jobs will fall into this category in 3 to 5 years.
Also, 26% say there are more STEM-related jobs (i.e., those in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) now than in 2002, and 31% anticipate seeing even more over the next few years. In addition, survey participants expect the number of entry-level jobs to continue to decline.
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“This survey reinforces the importance of having strong and responsive K through 12 and postsecondary education systems that provide all students with the knowledge and skills they need to access, and succeed in, their careers of choice,” said Sandy Boyd, senior vice president, strategic initiatives, Achieve (www.achieve.org).
“It’s clear that the world has changed and employers are demanding more from their new employees, and applicants, than ever before.”
Survey participants said that education and training can correct the job skills mismatch—for example, through postsecondary certificate programs and degrees, highly job-specific training, and employer-sponsored professional development.
To download the full survey, go here.