Global job markets are in the throes of strong winds of change, from the parabolic rise of AI technologies to a growing reckoning with the costs of higher education. In the short term, hiring practices have been among the workplace domains most destabilized, causing many to wonder what employee characteristics matter most in an increasingly AI-driven market.
For many of the workforce uncertainties we face, including uncertainties around the role of AI, skills-first hiring poses the potential solution.
Skills-first hiring means prioritizing candidates based on their skill-based expertise, instead of formal education and credentials. This mindset does not exclude or de-prioritize college educated applicants; instead, skills-first hiring broadens the field by being responsive to the diverse backgrounds of our country’s millions of workers.
From veterans of their field who have been innovating for decades without formal training, to 20-somethings who enrolled in college but never finished their degree, to PhDs with research skills and little professional background, skills-first hiring recognizes the value in a range of applicants and their disparate career journeys.
Yet, despite growing interest in skills-first hiring, Harvard Business School and Burning Glass Institute recently reported that skills-first hires accounted for less than 1 in 700 hires last year.
What follows, then, is an urgent question: Who are we excluding, and at what cost?
My mission at WorkingNation is driven by my belief that employment is a fundamental piece of society, not just when it comes to dollars and cents, but from a community connections perspective. Fulfilling employment can fuel finding purpose in life, and there is much to lose if degrees become prerequisites – not just for individuals, but for entire parts of our vast and varied country.
Putting skills first in the workforce also aligns with shifts in higher education. Colleges and universities are increasingly exploring ways to give students credit for learning that took place out of traditional classroom environments – signs of a shifting landscape in what has long been a credentials-first market.
When I founded WorkingNation, not only did I want to stay on top of the evolving business landscape but also highlight the demands required for a workforce that is continuously adapting, learning, and growing. To keep our workforce thriving and to reinforce the value of all our workers, it is imperative that employers put skills first; it is by adopting a skills-first mindset across the board that our workforce can achieve its full potential.
Art Bilger is the Founder & CEO of WorkingNation. He launched the not-for-profit media enterprise in 2016 with a very specific goal in mind: to educate the public about the changing nature of work caused by advancing technology, longevity and globalization, and highlighting solutions to workforce issues resulting from these changes.