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Good Jobs Demand More Education
According to a wide range of economic, education and business experts, good jobs require more math and English than ever before, and workers will need some postsecondary education or training—whether it is in the form of two- or four-year
college course work, apprenticeships, or the military—to meet the needs of the high performance workplace.
If U.S. workers cannot meet the demand, many of the highly skilled jobs may go to workers in other countries, such as China and India, which will have a significant impact on U.S. competitiveness in the global economy. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projections show that 80% of the top 50 fastest-growing jobs will require education beyond high school, and that 40% of all new jobs will require at least an associate’s degree. Two-thirds of all new jobs will require some postsecondary education.
Projected Job Growth 2000 - 2010:
Highly Paid Jobs (Earnings $40K+)
- 25% share of jobs
- Projected growth rate: 20%
- Net new jobs: 7.5 million
- Total job openings: 14.5 million (51% from job creation)
- Jobs Include: Managers; Engineers; Legal Professionals; Licensed Medical Professionals, Teachers, Financial, Insurance, and Real Estate Professionals, Technical Knowledge Workers
Well-Paid Skilled Jobs (Earnings $25K- 40K)
- 37% share of jobs
- Projected growth rate: 12%
- Net new jobs: 6.6 million
- Total job openings: 17.9 million (32% from job creation)
- White-Collar Jobs Include: Financial Services Support, Administrative Support, Health Technicians; Human Services; Sales Managers;
- Blue-Collar Jobs Include: Protective Services; Crafts Workers; Mechanics, Repairers, and Service Technicians
- Factory jobs which have now become more skilled have declined from 32 to 17% of all jobs between 1959 and 2000.26
Low-paid or Low-skilled Jobs ($25K or less)
- 38% share of jobs
- Projected growth rate: 15%
- Net new jobs: 8.1 million
- Total job openings: 25.2 million (32% from job creation)
- Jobs Include: Clerical, Cashiers and Retail Sales Workers; Personal Services; Food Services; Child Care Services; Health and Recreation Services; Laborers; Transportation Operatives; Farming, Forestry, and Fishing
Earning Potential
- High school graduate - $25,900.00
- Non-high school graduate - $18,900.00
- College graduate - $45,400.00
- Master’s degree - $54,500.00
- Doctorate degree - $81,400.00
- Professional degree(M.D., J.D., etc.) - $99,300.00
The average wages of high school graduates, and those individuals who never graduated high school, have fallen over the last two decades; the average incomes of those who went beyond high school have risen.
Graduation Requirements Across the Nation
- 42 states require students to take certain courses to graduate from high school.
- 22 states have standards in all four subjects (English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies)
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