Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi and GT Thompson Lead 10 Of Their Colleagues In Bipartisan Letter Urging Department Of Labor To Aid Employers’ Shift To Skills-Based Hiring Practices

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Glenn "GT" Thompson (R-PA) led 10 of their colleagues in sending a letter to Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su calling for the Department to work with Congress to support employers' shifts to skills-based hiring practices to counter the challenges caused by many industries requiring college degrees to work jobs that simply do not require it. As labor shortages plague numerous industries, employers are increasingly embracing skills-based hiring and abandoning bachelor's degree requirements. But despite this growing transition, 69 percent of the new jobs created in the last decade require a minimum of a bachelor's degree for consideration. Furthermore, research has shown that skills-based hiring contributes to a more prepared, resilient, and diverse workforce by eliminating discrimination against qualified candidates for not having degrees unnecessary for available positions, especially if that degree has no bearing on their ability to succeed."

"As our economy continues to face labor shortages, it is imperative that we eliminate unnecessary obstacles to qualified job applicants taking on roles through which they can build rewarding careers while strengthening our economy," said Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. "If a job candidate has the skills necessary to thrive in a position, that candidate should not be denied an opportunity to be fairly considered on the basis of not having a four-year degree. I am proud to partner with Congressman Thompson in calling on Acting Secretary Su to work with us to support skills-based hiring."

The letter was also signed by U.S. Representatives Tracey Mann, Donald Norcross, Linda Sánchez, Mike Bost, Angie Craig, David Valadao, Betty McCollum, Bruce Westerman, Dan Kildee, and Lisa Blunt Rochester.

A full copy of the letter sent to Acting Secretary Su is available here and its text follows below.

July 28, 2023

The Honorable Julie Su

Acting Secretary of Labor

Department of Labor

200 Constitution Avenue NW

Washington, D.C. 20210

Dear Acting Secretary Su,

We write to express our concern that many employers across the country are requiring that individuals obtain a college degree to work jobs that simply do not require it. This practice severely harms our ability as a nation to grow the middle class, exacerbates inequality, perpetuates a stigma against those who pursue a skills-based education, and catalyzes our growing student loan crisis. According to Census data on educational attainment, over 60% of working-aged adults in the United States do not hold a bachelor's degree.[1] However, in many cases, employers continue to value degrees over skills, locking millions of skilled workers out of high-quality jobs.[2] In fact, 69% of new jobs created in the last decade required a minimum of a bachelor's degree for consideration.[3]

While a four-year degree is a valuable path for many, 62 percent of Americans have indicated they prefer skills training to a bachelor's degree.[4] As the cost of higher education programs continue to rise and businesses struggle to fill open positions, our country cannot afford to disregard qualified workers who have developed their skills through alternative pathways. Fortunately, this trend has begun to reverse in recent years as more employers are removing bachelor's degree requirements and shifting to a skills-based approach to hiring.[5] In addition to broadening the talent pool, research has found that hiring for the relevant skills and abilities is more predictive of job performance and can accelerate the time to hire while improving employee retention.[6] However, many key industries remain reliant on bachelor's degrees as a shortcut to vetting candidates, with one study showing that nearly half of middle-skilled applicants are being systematically rejected for the lack of a degree.[7][8] Given this evidence, we are concerned that some employers continue to utilize hiring methods that automatically disqualify highly skilled and qualified candidates.[9]

Madam Acting Secretary, at a time when the U.S. faces a crisis of labor shortages in critical industries, we urge the Department of Labor to work with Congress on ways to accelerate the shift towards an evidence-based approach to skills-based hiring that will expand opportunities for workers who are skilled through means other than a four-year degree. Not only do we have an obligation to the millions of highly skilled individuals whose employment opportunities are being unfairly limited, but it is necessary for the country to shift to skills-driven hiring practices for the United States to remain competitive in the global economy.

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