The following research results are provided through the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
They examined educational requirements for projected job growth and the findings are staggering: The percentage of the workforce requiring some college or above grew from 28% in 1973 to 59% in 2007 and is expected to increase to 62% by 2018. The demand for an increasingly skilled and educated workforce is growing steadily; unless we increase output from postsecondary institutions, the demand for college talent will exceed its supply.
In 1970, high school dropouts were three times as likely to be unemployed as degreed workers; today, high school dropouts are five times as likely to be unemployed as degreed workers. When the recession is over, most of the non-college jobs lost will not be coming back, and a growing share of new job openings will require some college.
These research findings are similar to what other experts are saying. That jobs are increasingly requiring some level of education beyond high school. This fact is what is driving the push for higher academic requirements in high school.
