Education is Important Check out the Unemployment Numbers

I saw a recent news story talking about the unemployment rate is 13+% but for people with a bachelors or higher it is under 5%. Based on a recent study put out by the NY Times based on Bureau of Labor Statistics the 12 month unemployment average is 8.6% for all men and women. This number jumps to 17.5% for all men & women who do not have a high school degree and down to 4.5% for all men & women who have a Bachelor's or higher - this is staggering. There are additional facts and figures that can be pulled out based on age, race and gender - here is the link: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/11/06/business/economy/unemployment-lines.html

These are interesting and somewhat tough figures to look at. I was discussing this last night with a friend who is an adjunct at a local college and we were discussing how current traditional students in liberal arts programs don't see the point in finishing because they are not sure what they want to do when they get out OR their friends are in jobs that have nothing to do with their degree, but we as employers know it isn't always what the degree is in as much as it is in the fact that they have a degree (obviously depending on the job, etc...). That degree shows reliability, responsibility, social skills, competitive abilities and an academic mind with an ability to learn new things.

We also were discussing that just under 1/2 of her students are non-traditional students who are looking to recareer or are unemployed and know that they need the degree to be competitive in the job market. To the employer looking to hire this individual we feel you are working hard to set yourself apart from the pack, you are investing in yourself and making a commitment to move to the next level. This is typically the middle managment person who worked hard to earn their position but didn't ever think about finishing thier degree until they were impacted.

So, what about the manufacturing person who isn't interested in getting to the next big career, they just want to work and work hard, go home? We have heard that many of the skilled and unskilled manufacturing jobs have gone away and to some degree this is true but there are still companies out there hiring for reliable individuals the issue we are seeing and others would agree is that the pay isn't where it used to be and people are having to start over in many different areas not just in the skilled labor/trades but in professional and mid level positions as well.

For HR and Hiring Managers this means that we will have to really understand the needs of these individuals, is it schedule, benefits, responsibility? What is going to motivate them and retain them so that they don't leave for just a little more money? These are questions that we may ask ourselves but are we implementing them? Better yet, are we talking about them?

If you have employees that might be interested in going back to school but not sure for what we have a tool that can help; feel free to pass this on, it is geared more toward the non-traditional student and many of the resources are free http://www.backtolearn.com/default.aspx?affiliateid=9