Employers with job openings that require bachelor’s degrees are currently facing a big problem: many of those belonging to the working age do not own that requirement. Other jobs that only require a high school diploma, however, face the direct opposite: there are more people who own a diploma than jobs that require one.
Supply and Demand
In North Dakota and Minnesota, the gap between the demand and supply for bachelor's degree owners is huge, reports the Grand Forks Herald. Based on recent statistical data, 34 percent of jobs in North Dakota require workers to have a bachelor's degree, but only 18 percent of adults aged 25 and older have one. In Minnesota, the gap is even bigger: 50 percent of jobs in the state require bachelor's degrees, but only a mere 19 percent of adults have one.
The data presented comes from "The College and Career Readiness of U.S. High School Graduates" report by Achieve, a Washington-based nonprofit group that was involved in helping develop the Common Core State Standards. The report, which includes data from all U.S. states, can be accessed here.
North Dakota, which adopted the Common Core standards for Math and English in 2010, has a relatively high graduation rate, but the college-readiness of these graduates is still unclear as many graduates still need remedial classes. To this, the Chamber of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks president Barry Wilfahrt said that North Dakota is facing job shortages in every education level, emphasizing that some fields, such as engineering, seriously require degree holders.
"Even in Grand Forks today, there's a tremendous workforce shortage across the board in our community, and it's going to continue to be one of the biggest challenges (we face)," Wilfahrt said.
Opposite Trends
However, the trend is quite the opposite when only high school diplomas are required. Jobs that do not demand for a bachelor's degree but only ask for a high school diploma are far outnumbered by adults who have diplomas.
In North Dakota, for example, only 46 percent of jobs require diplomas, while 52 percent own one. Minnesota, on the other hand, has another bigger gap: only 33 percent require diplomas, while 53 percent of adults have one.
