1. SHRM Survey Findings:
Changing Employee Skills and Education
Requirements—Education Levels of Today’s Workforce
In collaboration with and commissioned by Achieve
October 3, 2012

2. Introduction
• This is the second part of a series of SHRM/Achieve survey findings titled “Changing
Employee Skills and Education Requirements.” These results look at the education levels of
today’s workforce.
• The following nine industries were included in the sample. Overall results are reported
first, followed by industry-specific results for the following industries:
 Construction, mining, oil and gas
 Federal government
 Finance
 Health
 High-tech
 Manufacturing
 Professional services
 State and local government
 Nonprofessional services
SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Education Levels of Today’s Workforce
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3. Key Findings
• Are jobs being filled by people with more educational qualifications than are actually required by their
positions? To some extent, yes. Overall, organizations across all industries report that most jobs are held
by individuals with educational credentials closely matched to those required by the job. Slightly more
individuals possess additional educational credentials than what is needed for jobs with no minimum
education requirements, as well as for jobs requiring an advanced degree.
• What industries have the highest percentage of advanced degree holders? Professional services
(20%), the federal government (16%), high-tech (15%) and health (13%) industries have the greatest
percentage of employees who hold advanced degrees (e.g., master’s, MBA, Ph.D., M.D., J.D.).
• Did most industries have job openings in 2011? Yes, almost all organizations—96% overall—said they had
job openings in 2011. The top industries hiring were health (99%), finance (97%) and high-tech (97%).
• Were there industries that had jobs available in 2011 with no minimum education requirements? A few
industries do still offer a few jobs with no minimum education requirements: nonprofessional services
(21%), construction, mining, oil and gas (19%), and manufacturing (12%). However, in all other
industries, fewer than 10% of job openings in 2011 had no minimum educational requirements (see slide
15).
• How often are newly hired employees’ educational credentials actually higher than the minimum
education listed in the job announcement? Across industries, more than one-half (53%) say this occurs at
least some of the time for jobs that require a minimum of a high school diploma, and 30% say this
happens most of the time. Industries that are most likely to say that most or all of the time newly hired
employees’ educational credentials are actually higher than the minimum education listed in the job
announcement were high-tech (48%), professional services (46%) and the federal government (41%).
SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Education Levels of Today’s Workforce
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4. What percentage of your organization’s positions that are currently filled
require the following education credentials? What percentage of your
organization’s current full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) actually possess
these educational credentials? All Industries
No minimum education requirements 8%
Less than high school diploma 4%
35%
High school diploma or equivalent only
34%
Specific postsecondary 8% Required in Currently
certificate/credential(s) only Filled Positions
8% (n = 4,174)
Actually Possessed by
7%
Associate’s degree Current FTEs
9% (n = 3,707)
33%
Bachelor’s degree
34%
Advanced degree 8%
(e.g., master's, MBA, Ph.D., M.D., J.D.) 11%
Note: Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.
SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Education Levels of Today’s Workforce
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5. What percentage of your organization’s positions that are currently filled require
the following education credentials? What percentage of your organization’s
current full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) actually possess these educational
credentials? Construction, Mining, Oil and Gas
No minimum education requirements 20%
Less than high school diploma 10%
32%
High school diploma or equivalent only
38%
9% Required in Currently
Specific postsecondary
Filled Positions
certificate/credential(s) only 9% (n = 424)
Actually Possessed by
6% Current FTEs
Associate’s degree (n = 386)
8%
29%
Bachelor’s degree
29%
Advanced degree 3%
(e.g., master's, MBA, Ph.D., M.D., J.D.) 5%
Note: Percentages do not total 100% due to rounding.
SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Education Levels of Today’s Workforce
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6. What percentage of your organization’s positions that are currently filled require
the following education credentials? What percentage of your organization’s
current full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) actually possess these educational
credentials? Federal Government
No minimum education requirements 10%
Less than high school diploma 2%
33%
High school diploma or equivalent only
31%
8% Required in Currently
Specific postsecondary
Filled Positions
certificate/credential(s) only 8% (n = 257)
Actually Possessed by
7% Current FTEs
Associate’s degree (n = 220)
10%
31%
Bachelor’s degree
33%
Advanced degree 11%
(e.g., master's, MBA, Ph.D., M.D., J.D.) 16%
SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Education Levels of Today’s Workforce
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7. What percentage of your organization’s positions that are currently filled require
the following education credentials? What percentage of your organization’s
current full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) actually possess these educational
credentials? Finance
No minimum education requirements 4%
Less than high school diploma 1%
47%
High school diploma or equivalent only
41%
Specific postsecondary 4%
Required in Currently
certificate/credential(s) only 5% Filled Positions
(n = 461)
6% Actually Possessed by
Associate’s degree Current FTEs
9% (n = 392)
35%
Bachelor’s degree
34%
Advanced degree 5%
(e.g., master's, MBA, Ph.D., M.D., J.D.) 9%
Note: Percentages do not total 100% due to rounding.
SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Education Levels of Today’s Workforce
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8. What percentage of your organization’s positions that are currently filled require
the following education credentials? What percentage of your organization’s
current full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) actually possess these educational
credentials? Health
No minimum education requirements 4%
Less than high school diploma 3%
31%
High school diploma or equivalent only
31%
Specific postsecondary 14%
Required in Currently
certificate/credential(s) only 13% Filled Positions
(n = 513)
14% Actually Possessed by
Associate’s degree Current FTEs
14% (n = 457)
26%
Bachelor’s degree
27%
Advanced degree 11%
(e.g., master's, MBA, Ph.D., M.D., J.D.) 13%
Note: Percentages do not total 100% due to rounding.
SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Education Levels of Today’s Workforce
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9. What percentage of your organization’s positions that are currently filled require
the following education credentials? What percentage of your organization’s
current full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) actually possess these educational
credentials? High-tech
No minimum education requirements 4%
Less than high school diploma 1%
18%
High school diploma or equivalent only
15%
6% Required in Currently
Specific postsecondary
Filled Positions
certificate/credential(s) only 5% (n = 397)
Actually Possessed by
7% Current FTEs
Associate’s degree (n = 351)
8%
57%
Bachelor’s degree
55%
Advanced degree 9%
(e.g., master's, MBA, Ph.D., M.D., J.D.) 15%
Note: Percentages do not total 100% due to rounding.
SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Education Levels of Today’s Workforce
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10. What percentage of your organization’s positions that are currently filled require
the following education credentials? What percentage of your organization’s
current full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) actually possess these educational
credentials? Manufacturing
No minimum education requirements 14%
Less than high school diploma 9%
47%
High school diploma or equivalent only
51%
Specific postsecondary 6%
Required in Currently
certificate/credential(s) only 6% Filled Positions
(n = 502)
6% Actually Possessed by
Associate’s degree Current FTEs
7% (n = 455)
24%
Bachelor’s degree
22%
Advanced degree 3%
(e.g., master's, MBA, Ph.D., M.D., J.D.) 5%
SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Education Levels of Today’s Workforce
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11. What percentage of your organization’s positions that are currently filled require
the following education credentials? What percentage of your organization’s
current full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) actually possess these educational
credentials? Nonprofessional Services
No minimum education requirements 18%
Less than high school diploma 10%
44%
High school diploma or equivalent only
44%
Specific postsecondary 7%
Requireed in Currently
certificate/credential(s) only 7% Filled Positions
(n = 319)
5% Actually Possessed by
Associate’s degree Current FTE's
7% (n = 272)
24%
Bachelor’s degree
26%
Advanced degree 3%
(e.g., master's, MBA, Ph.D., M.D., J.D.) 5%
Note: Percentages do not total 100% due to rounding.
SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Education Levels of Today’s Workforce
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12. What percentage of your organization’s positions that are currently filled require
the following education credentials? What percentage of your organization’s
current full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) actually possess these educational
credentials? Professional Services
No minimum education requirements 3%
Less than high school diploma 1%
22%
High school diploma or equivalent only
20%
7% Required in Currently
Specific postsecondary
Filled Positions
certificate/credential(s) only 6% (n = 596)
Actually Possessed by
6% Current FTE's
Associate’s degree (n = 563)
7%
47%
Bachelor’s degree
46%
Advanced degree 15%
(e.g., master's, MBA, Ph.D., M.D., J.D.) 20%
SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Education Levels of Today’s Workforce
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13. What percentage of your organization’s positions that are currently filled require
the following education credentials? What percentage of your organization’s
current full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) actually possess these educational
credentials? State/Local Government
No minimum education requirements 5%
Less than high school diploma 3%
43%
High school diploma or equivalent only
38%
Specific postsecondary 10%
Required in Currently
certificate/credential(s) only 10% Filled Positions
(n = 705)
8% Actually Possessed by
Associate’s degree Current FTEs
10% (n = 611)
27%
Bachelor’s degree
29%
Advanced degree 6%
(e.g., master's, MBA, Ph.D., M.D., J.D.) 9%
Note: Percentages do not total 100% due to rounding.
SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Education Levels of Today’s Workforce
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14. Did your organization have any job openings in 2011?
All industries (n = 3,893) 96%
Health (n = 495) 99%
Finance (n = 425) 97%
High-tech (n = 372) 97%
Manufacturing (n = 473) 96%
Construction, mining, oil and gas (n = 394) 95%
Nonprofessional services (n = 286) 95%
Professional services (n = 575) 95%
State/local government (n = 643) 95%
Federal government (n = 230) 93%
Note: Percentages represent respondents who answered “yes”.
SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Education Levels of Today’s Workforce
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15. Of your organization’s job openings in 2011, what
percentage of the positions:
Construction, Non-
All Mining, Oil Federal High- Manufac- professional Professional State/Local
Industries and Gas Government Finance Health tech turing Services Services Government
(n = 3,525) (n = 360) (n = 205) (n = 380) (n = 456) (n = 335) (n = 435) (n = 254) (n = 525) (n = 575)
Had no
minimum
education
8% 19% 7% 3% 3% 3% 12% 21% 3% 5%
requirements?
Required a
high school
diploma or 36% 33% 30% 52% 33% 15% 47% 44% 21% 45%
equivalent
only?
Required a
specific
postsecondary
certificate/
8% 10% 9% 3% 15% 5% 4% 5% 6% 10%
credential(s)
only?
Required an
associate’s 6% 5% 6% 4% 13% 6% 5% 5% 6% 7%
degree?
Required a
bachelor’s 36% 31% 35% 34% 27% 65% 29% 22% 51% 29%
degree?
Required an
advanced
degree (e.g., 7% 2% 13% 3% 10% 8% 2% 2% 13% 5%
master’s, Ph.D.,
M.D., JD.)?
Note: Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding. Only respondents whose organizations had job openings in 2011 were asked this question.
SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Education Levels of Today’s Workforce
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16. For current job openings that require a minimum of a high school diploma or
equivalent, how often are the newly hired employees’ educational credentials
actually higher than the minimum education listed in the job announcement?
All industries (n = 3,432) 2% 12% 53% 30% 3%
High-tech (n = 283) 1% 5% 46% 44% 4%
Professional services (n = 483) 2% 7% 45% 41% 5%
Federal government (n = 193) 0% 9% 49% 37% 4%
Finance (n = 369) 2% 7% 54% 36% 2%
State/local government (n = 596) 2% 10% 54% 32% 2%
Nonprofessional services (n = 252) 3% 17% 53% 26% 2%
Construction, mining, oil and gas (n =
3% 17% 54% 23% 3%
362)
Health (n = 455) 2% 14% 61% 21% 2%
Manufacturing (n = 439) 3% 23% 57% 14% 2%
Never Rarely Some of the time Most of the time Always
Note: Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding. Respondents who answered “Not sure” or “Not applicable” were excluded from this
analysis. Industries are sorted in descending order by the “Most of the time” response option.
SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Education Levels of Today’s Workforce
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17. Of those newly hired employees who had higher than a high school
diploma or equivalent, what percentage have had the following
education credentials?
All industries (n = 3,064) 28% 28% 39% 5%
Finance (n = 324) 15% 30% 50% 5%
High-tech (n = 251) 17% 30% 47% 6%
Professional services (n = 454) 20% 24% 49% 7%
Federal government (n = 176) 22% 27% 41% 10%
State/local government (n = 524) 28% 30% 37% 6%
Nonprofessional services (n = 222) 32% 29% 36% 3%
Health (n = 405) 33% 30% 32% 6%
Construction, mining, oil and gas (n =
40% 26% 31% 3%
318)
Manufacturing (n = 390) 40% 29% 29% 3%
Specific postsecondary certificate/credential(s) only Associate’s degree
Bachelor’s degree Advanced degree (e.g., master's, MBA, Ph.D., M.D., J.D.)
Note: Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding. Industries are sorted in descending order by the “Specific postsecondary
certificate/credential(s) only” response option.
SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Education Levels of Today’s Workforce
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18. SHRM Survey Findings:
Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements
In collaboration with and commissioned by Achieve
Survey Methodology
• Response rate = 18%
• 4,695 HR professional respondents from a randomly selected sample of nine different
industries in SHRM’s membership
 Construction, mining, oil and gas = 491
 Manufacturing = 526
 Federal government = 356
 Professional services = 492
 Finance = 530
 State and local government = 848
 Health = 526
 Non-professional services = 479
 High-tech = 447
• Margin of error +/-1%
• Survey fielded March 28-April 30, 2012
SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Education Levels of Today’s
Workforce ©SHRM 2012 18

19. SHRM Survey Findings:
Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements
About SHRM Research
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www.shrm.org/customizedresearch
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SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Education Levels of Today’s Workforce
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