America Employed: New Education Options and Priorities for Job Seekers

Retiring baby boomers, a low labor force participation rate, and a lack of skilled workers add up to a deficit of employees that’s not likely to ease anytime soon. One likely solution is the rise in microcredentials, also known as microdegrees. 

While these credentials have been around for many years, offerings have ballooned more recently as interest from employers and prospective employees has increased. The new white paper, titled “The Big Rewards of Microcredentials,” shows that employers value these abbreviated educational building blocks. Read more. 

In an ever-changing job market, job seekers are placing new and compelling priorities at the forefront of their career choices as a majority are willing to sacrifice better pay for flexible schedules.  

Salary and work-life balance appear to be among the key factors for desired positions, as around 4 in 5 report these components are absolutely essential/very important (83% and 79%, respectively). They also place importance on the job duties and responsibilities (78%), benefits (76%), and personal fulfillment (68%) of positions. Read more.