More Employers to Require Some College, Report Says

By JACQUES STEINBERG

The report makes clear that some education after high school is an increasing prerequisite for entry into the middle class. In 1970, for example, nearly three-quarters of workers considered to be middle class had not gone beyond high school in their education; in 2007, that figure had dropped below 40 percent, according to the report.

“High school graduates and dropouts will find themselves largely left behind in the coming decade as employer demand for workers with postsecondary degrees continues to surge,” write the report’s authors, led by Anthony P. Carnevale, the center’s director.

And yet the report further underscores a trend evident in recent years in reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics: sometimes a certificate in a particular trade, a two-year associate’s degree or just a few years of college may be as valuable to one’s career (and income) as a traditional bachelor’s degree.