One-third of hiring managers and HR professionals said they are hiring more employees with college degrees for positions that were historically held by high school graduates, according to a recent CareerBuilder® survey.
This hiring trend varies across industries:
- Financial Services—53 percent
- Healthcare—40 percent
- Manufacturing—38 percent
- Transportation & Utilities—37 percent
- Information Technology—33 percent
- Professional & Business Services—31 percent
- Retail—28 percent
- Hospitality—20 percent
This trend is due, in part, to job qualifications becoming more demanding. Nearly one-in-five employers said they have increased their educational requirements for jobs over the last five years. Manufacturing (30 percent) and Information Technology firms (27 percent) were the most likely to report this.
More than half of the employers reported that they require an associate’s degree or higher for their positions; 44 percent require a four-year degree or higher.