By Brittany Hackett, Communications Staff

Despite the recent decline in traditional blue-collar industries in the U.S., there are still 30 million good jobs that pay well without a bachelor’s degree, with the greatest growth occurring in skilled-service industries that require some postsecondary education and training, according to new research from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

The study – conducted in collaboration with JP Morgan Chase & Co. – shows that most of the U.S. workforce today (64 percent) does not have a four-year degree. And while some believe it is not possible to have a good paying job without a bachelor’s degree, the study found the opposite. In today’s labor market, good jobs in industries like manufacturing and transportation that do not require a bachelor’s degree pay and average salary of $55,000, with an average minimum of $35,000 per year. 

But while most these jobs can still be found in manufacturing and other blue-collar industries, there has been steady job growth in skilled-service industries like healthcare, finance, and information technology, which are replacing the good jobs of old. For example, a machinist 25 years ago was considered a good manufacturing job, paying $44,000 per year. But in today’s job market, a computer support technician making $60,000 per year is an example of a typical good job in skilled service. According to the study, good jobs in skilled-service industries have seen a gain of 4 million, more than offsetting the 2.8 million good jobs that have been lost in manufacturing in recent years.

And the share of good jobs that require more than a high school diploma continues to rise, with Associate’s degree holders gaining more than 3 million net new jobs since 1991. Workers with only high school diplomas continue to hold the largest share of good jobs at 11.6 million, but workers with some college and those with Associate’s degrees are quickly gaining on them, holding 9.3 million jobs and 7.6 million jobs, respectively. Workers with bachelor’s degrees, in contrast, hold 36 million good jobs.

The study also found that white workers continue to have the largest share of good jobs at 67 percent, but Latino workers are catching up, seeing an increase from 6 percent in 1991 to 16 percent in 2015. Black workers have the smallest share of good jobs at 11 percent, which is only slightly higher than in previous decades. Men also hold more good jobs than women, 70 percent to 30 percent, and states with the largest economies have the largest number of good jobs for workers without four-year degrees, including California Texas, and Florida. Wyoming, New Jersey, and Maryland have the largest share of good jobs that do not require a bachelor’s degree.

"The brightest economic prospects for workers without BAs are found more and more in skilled-services industries … To compete effectively, workers need some level of postsecondary education and training," according to the study. "If policymakers want to get serious about restoring the health of the middle class, mapping this education and workforce landscape – both the educational pathways and the occupational pathways available to works at different levels – is crucial."

Publication Date: 7/27/2017

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