The long trend toward degree inflation -- a requirement that certain jobs have college degrees when not actually necessary -- may be starting to slow. Companies like General Motors recently announced that it would be removing those requirements from some job listings, prioritizing skills over education.
Fortune.com reporter and recent Washington University graduate Jane Thier recently wrote an article on the trend -- how it can benefit people, and also how it could increase competition. She told KMOX that previously, a four-year degree was a way of demonstrating that you had certain skills that you can't quantify.
"Something like being able to speak to people you've never met before, understand new complex topics, and really kind of deliver something within a deadline," she explained. "And that's kind of what a degree is meant to represent."
But, Thier said, a lot of jobs -- especially at big companies like Facebook and Google -- don't really require things that you need a degree for. These jobs have been called "new collar jobs."
"New collar jobs is a term coined by IBM...around 2016, in reference to roles that require a specific set of skills, rather than a four year degree," she said. "So there are things like certain tech or coding or workplace things that just really revolve around knowing how to do that exact job rather than having kind of a jack-of-all-trades approach."
Thier said that companies are doing it partially because they need to fill roles quickly, but also because requiring college degrees hasn't ever really done favors for companies that are looking for very specific roles.
"Removing a college degree requirement opens the field up more to people who can do the job who are from underrepresented groups, or from areas of the country they weren't paying much attention to, or industries where they really weren't looking in the first place," she said. "So it really only is a win-win, both on the part of filling the roles and an increasing diversity in the company."
Hear more from Jane Thier about how companies are shifting focus, and what jobs people can find without degrees:
Copyright 2022 KMOX (Audacy). All Rights Reserved.
Follow KMOX | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Listen on the free Audacy app.
Tell your smart speaker to play K M O X.