Degrees of separation

Should employers limit themselves by considering only degrees when hiring? The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, a potential recession, still-rising inflation rates and the Great Attrition have driven employers to rethink their approach to human capital and talent management. Namely, they're moving beyond degrees and job titles to focus more on the skills a job requires and that a candidate possesses. And they're doing so in greater numbers, based on McKinsey research conducted in partnership with the Rework America Alliance....

More employers are starting to embrace skills-based hiring practices. Large companies, such as Boeing, Walmart and IBM have signed on to the Rework America Alliance, the Business Roundtable's Multiple Pathways programme and the campaign to Tear the Paper Ceiling, pledging to implement skills-based practices. So far, they have removed degree requirements from certain job postings and have worked with other organisations to help workers progress from lower- to higher-wage jobs.

The interest in skills-based practices isn't limited to the private sector. In May 2022, the state of Maryland announced it would no longer require degrees for almost 50% of its positions, opening thousands of jobs in healthcare, corrections, policing, skilled trades and engineering to a bigger pool of applicants.


From 'Taking a Skills-Based Approach to Building the Future Workforce', McKinsey & Co