Dive Summary:
- A new study from the Center for College Affordability and Productivity shows that nearly half of all American college graduates were underemployed in 2010 and holding jobs that don't require a degree.
- The accompanying report, "Why Are Recent College Graduates Underemployed? University Enrollments and Labor Market Realities," showed that out of the 41.7 million working college graduates in 2010, 48% worked jobs requiring less than a bachelor's degree, while 37% had jobs requiring only a high school diploma.
- Using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the researchers calculated that the number of college graduates is increasing at a disproportionate rate to the number of jobs requiring a degree, leading them to ask whether the U.S. should continue spending so much on higher education when so many graduates end up in jobs they could have landed without a degree.
From the article:
Students who graduated into the Great Recession have struggled to find work that fits their learning. But according to research released on Monday, millions of college graduates over all-not just recent ones-suffer a mismatch between education and employment, holding jobs that don't require a costly college degree. The study, from the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, says that nearly half of all American college graduates in 2010-some three years after the recession began-were underemployed, holding relatively low-paying and low-skilled jobs. ...