A majority of polled hiring managers also said their companies look at relevant experience over bachelor’s degrees during hiring decisions. Published May 29, 2025 “A quarter of employers surveyed said they will remove bachelor’s degree requirements for some roles by the end of 2025, according to a May 20 report from Resume Templates. In addition, 7 in 10 hiring managers said their company looks at relevant experience over a bachelor’s degree while making hiring decisions.“ https://www.highereddive.com/news/employer-eliminate-degree-requirements-2025/749061/
Here are the charts on "Bachelor's degree or higher" attainment (age: 25-64) in the US and other countries. This gives you a certain background for the revised hiring policies. Charted: The World’s Most Educated Countries https://www.visualcapitalist.com/charted-the-worlds-most-educated-countries/
The problem isn't the college degree. The problem is that the U.S. lacks a strong qualifications system. Almost everyone understandings the heirarchy in higher education: bachelor's-->master's-->doctorate. But there is very little common ground regarding trade/occupation preparation. This is true even for most professions. There's so much hit-and-miss. A partnership between governments, tertiary institutions, and employers could create such a system of recognized standards for credentials on a qualifications ladder. Then, tertiary institutions--trade schools, colleges and universities, professional associations, unions, employer-based training, etc.--could apply for recognition under the qualifacations framework. Students would know what they were getting, employers, too. And institutions would know what to offer. Credentials earned in the framework--certificates, certifications, and degrees--would be instantly recognizable by all parties involved, and the requirements to earn them would evolve via the partnership as industry needs changed. This approach transformed the "Asian Tigers" from agrarian economies to manufacturing and high-tech. Admittedly, such an approach would be a huge lift, but money talks. And no one has more money than the federal government. This is the kind of work that would be perfect for a partnership between OPM and the DoE.
