More companies are getting on board with dropping some education requirements for jobs. It's an effort to fill some positions faster.
IBM has stopped requiring a bachelor's degree for some positions.
The CEO of the pharmaceutical company Merck recently said businesses could hire more people if they didn't require a degree and offered training instead.
Career experts say getting rid of the education requirement can especially help people in one sector.
“LinkedIn data shows that over the next five years, there's going to be 150 million tech jobs, digital jobs that are open for talent. Hiring based on skills and dropping degree requirements actually opens up high paying jobs for a multitude of people,” said Andrew McCaskill, career expert with LinkedIn.
According to economists at Opportunity at Work, when companies require a bachelor's degree, they're excluding 70% of African American job candidates and 80-percent of Latinx workers.
Experts at LinkedIn agree that dropping the degree requirement for some jobs can diversify the workforce.
“Simply put, this approach really does democratize talent. It helps companies find the talent that they're looking for based on the actual skills needed to do the job. It opens the company up for way more diversity and much more healthy and productive workplaces,” said McCaskill.
LinkedIn experts say there will still be a need for a four-year degree or higher in other jobs. But this would give workers the opportunity to hone their skills and make themselves more marketable.
