Dive Brief:
- The latest HigherEdJobs report shows a 1.25% increase in jobs for the fourth quarter of 2015 — a larger increase than any other quarter since 2012.
- The increase amounts to 24,100 new jobs, a total that includes losses in the community college sector of 5,300 and gains among four-year colleges of 29,400 jobs.
- The good news for four-year colleges reflects a stronger economy and indicates colleges and universities are feeling more confident about long-term planning and hiring.
Dive Insight:
As the economy improves, four-year colleges are better off while community colleges shrink.
During the recession, when millions of people were locked out of the job market, many of them chose to continue their education and retrain. Community colleges absorbed that growth, and now, as the economy improves, they are shrinking again.
Promise programs, however, have the potential to counteract this process. Tennessee has attracted more high school graduates to higher education than state officials expected in the first year of their program. Oregon is in line to offer two free years to all qualifying students starting in 2016-17. President Obama included a federal plan for America's College Promise, and while it likely will not make it through the Republican-controlled Congress, it could inspire more states to move forward with their plans.