From Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce:

Good summary from Washington Post: 

Researchers at the center found that out of the 11.6 million jobs created in the post-recession economy, 11.5 million went to people with at least some college education. Of those jobs, 8.4 million went to workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher. People with a high school diploma or less education landed 80,000 jobs in the recovery, the report said.

“The trend away from an economy that was anchored in high school to an economy anchored in post-secondary education and training has accelerated in the last two to three recessions,” said Anthony P. Carnevale, director of the Georgetown Center and lead author of the report. “If you can afford to send your kids to college, this is good news. If not, it’s bad news.”

People with at least a bachelor’s degree now make up 36 percent of the workforce, the largest share on record. Those with a high school diploma but no college education make up 34 percent of the working population, while people who have taken some college classes comprise the remaining 30 percent.

Questions for your students based on interpreting the chart:

• Who lost the most jobs during the recession? Did those workers with a bachelor’s degree or more suffer job losses during the recession?
• How did those workers with a high school degree fare during the recession? During the recovery?
• What is the change to the economy that the WaPo article describes?
• How does information like this apply to your life?

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For more resources on the value of a college degree:

• Interactive: What is the lifetime value of a college degree (by major)?
• Data Crunch: What’s the value of a college degree?

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.