A growing number of prominent U.S. companies are revising their hiring practices by reducing the number of job positions that require a college degree.
Among the companies adopting this change are IBM, Bank of America, Google, and Walmart. Walmart, in particular, has chosen to drop degree requirements for numerous corporate roles, deeming it an “unnecessary barrier.”
Lorraine Stomski, Walmart’s Senior Vice President of Associate Learning and Leadership, and Julie Gehrki, Vice President of Philanthropy, emphasized the shift in a post on the Walmart website, stating that, “While degrees should be part of the equation and in some cases even required, there are many roles where a degree is simply unnecessary, including at corporate headquarters.”
“Ultimately, Walmart believes the U.S. workforce system needs to transition to a system that recognizes and understands skills in the same way it recognizes and understands college degrees. This gives talented, skilled workers who do not have degrees the same benefits as people who do.”
Walmart blog post by Lorraine Stomski and Julie Gehrki
Walmart’s approach reflects the principles of what Harvard Business Review has dubbed “The New-Collar Workforce.” This hiring strategy argues that companies using degrees as a primary filter when recruiting are hiring inefficiently because it forces them to overlook candidates who may be more qualified in the specific skill that is needed.
As Walmart works to restructure job descriptions, the company states that it will place more emphasis on the skills required for the role, rather than simply demanding a degree. However, Walmart will continue to provide resources that help employees obtain certificates and college degrees.
Over the last decade, there has been a cultural shift in how Americans view the benefits of college. With the cost of college continuing to rise, and the workforce rapidly changing in a way that rewards trade skills, a growing number of students are considering alternatives to traditional college education. College is not for everyone, and it is reassuring to see that large U.S. businesses are acknowledging this reality.
