New research released by Indeed, a popular job posting platform, shows that the number of postings requiring college degrees — or any education requirement at all — is dwindling.
Indeed found 52 percent of postings on its site had no formal education requirement as of January 2024, up 4 percent from 2019. The number of postings requiring four-year degrees went from 20.4 percent to 17.8 percent in the past five years.
“Employers are loosening their formal education requirements as the labor market remains tight and attitudes towards skills-first hiring practices change. Those same employers seem more willing to consider candidates who can demonstrate the required skills without necessarily having a degree,” Indeed said in their analysis.
The research also showed that formal education requirements are declining in almost every job sector. STEM-related fields have the most postings that require higher degrees, while sectors such as education, food service and cleaning and sanitation have the lowest education requirements.
Indeed points out this research is hopeful since 64 percent of Americans do not have a bachelor’s degree.
“While educational requirements are unlikely to vanish from job postings, growing support of skills-first hiring approaches is a clear sign for workers to invest in skills now, regardless of their education level. In other words, even college-educated workers may have to think about reskilling more going forward,” Indeed put in its conclusion.