An increasing number of businesses are thinking about removing the Bachelor’s degrees as job requirements descriptions due to the growing need for bright individuals in the United States.
The shift may be driven by an understanding that experience and talents are more valuable than formal education. Businesses aim to shatter the “paper ceiling” that prevents talented candidates from applying for jobs that need a degree. In 2024, about half of the organizations questioned intend to remove the need for a four-year degree for certain professions, in part to increase the pool of talent accessible. Seventy million Americans, or more than half of the workforce, lack a four-year degree.
The percentage of Americans over 25 who hold bachelor’s degrees or above is just 36%. Employers are placing more emphasis on STARs (Skilled Through Alternative Routes), honouring and rewarding abilities obtained via unconventional means. Yet, automated resume screening technologies provide a serious hiring dilemma since they may penalise these candidates by removing them from consideration simply because their resumes do not list a formal degree.
Even as improvements in hiring methods aim to create possibilities for a more educated and varied workforce, it is necessary to take into account several issues that may impact employing foreign national talent. Companies should consider the larger context and potential immigration implications when assessing the advantages of shifting hiring practices towards a skills-based focus that emphasizes competency and capability. This is because many countries, including the United States, have visa requirements linked to educational qualifications.
Why Employers Are Considering Scraping Bachelor’s Degrees as Job Requirements
To staff important roles, American businesses across numerous industries depend on the world’s talent pool. Employers frequently utilize the H-1B visa programme in particular to hire talented foreign workers for occupations that normally demand for a bachelor’s degree or above. However employers using the H-1B Visas Domestically, should know that the US Department of State has announced a new pilot programme for renewal process.
Employers wishing to use these visa programmes may find it difficult to focus solely on skills because a degree is a necessary part of their eligibility requirements for proving a position qualifies for the visa.
The H-1B1 visa, which is granted to individuals from Chile or Singapore, and the E-3 visa, which is granted to Australian nationals, both require that the offered position fulfil the prerequisite of requiring the “achievement of a bachelor’s or higher degree in the specific field; and theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialised knowledge.”
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will issue a Request for Evidence (RFE) and place the burden of proof on the employer to demonstrate that the position actually requires a bachelor’s degree in a particular field if the agency is unable to conclusively determine that the position meets the requirements.