The number of good jobs that do not require a bachelor’s degree still account for a significant portion of the workforce, but they increasingly require some education beyond high school.
New Jersey has 897,000 good jobs that do not require a BA, according to a study by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce entitled “Good Jobs That Pay without a BA: A State-by-State Analysis.” A good job, as defined by the study, is one that pays at least $35,000 per year ($17 per hour) to someone under 45 years old and $45,000 to someone 45 or older.
Bachelor’s degrees still count; nationally, those with BAs hold 55 percent of all good jobs. For workers without BAs, associate degrees have become increasingly important for finding a good job.
More associate degree holders are getting good jobs, while the number of these jobs held by workers with a high school diploma or less is in decline, the report states.
“The report reinforces the need for New Jersey to increase the number of workers who have some form of post-secondary education,” said Andrew Musick, NJBIA’s Vice President of Taxation & Economic Development. New Jersey has recognized this need and has launched the 65 by ’25: Many Paths One Future campaign to address it.”
Earlier this year NJBIA joined with the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, the NJ Department of Education and the NJ Department of Labor & Workforce Development to increase the percentage of New Jersey workers who have some form of post-secondary education to 65 percent by 2025, or “65 by ’’25.”
“The goal of college does not have to be a four-year degree,” Musick said. “Workers can have successful careers in industries like advanced manufacturing, healthcare and financial services with associate degrees, credentials or certifications.”
