Divide between employment among high school, college grads increases
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has racked up yet another point for higher education with May's latest employment numbers. Even though hiring slowed down slightly last month, college-educated people only have a 4 percent unemployment rate - only a tad higher than April's 3.9 percent. High school grads, on the other hand, are on their way to meeting the national average of 8.2 percent with an increase from 7.9 to 8.1 percent - about 3 million people.
Employers who typically hired high school-educated individuals aren't doing so anymore, according to Jake Downing, managing partner of recruiting firm MRINetwork WorldBridge Partners. He also told MSNBC that low-skill jobs are moving overseas.
"[Recruiters] have an option now, so they're going to take somebody with a college education over somebody that's not [got a degree]," he told the news source. "It shows a commitment to themselves. It shows that they can learn, and most likely are going to be committed to career development."
According to a study by Carl Van Horn, Cliff Zukin and Mark Szeltner of a New Jersey university's workforce development center, many unemployed high school grads are not prepared to go to college or work in a professional environment. Students who received their high school diploma between 2006 and 2011 have a 30 percent unemployment rate and are actively looking for a job, while another 14 percent are not seeking work.
The university study polled 544 recent high school grads who reportedly worked at jobs that paid barely above minimum wage. If you want to have a job that covers more than just rent and groceries, you can follow the millions of Americans who have made the life-changing decision to go to college.
