US Study: Many Good Jobs Exist for High School Graduates

 

The best paying jobs in the United States often require successful completion of a study program at a college or university. But a new study suggests there are also millions of good jobs for people with only a high school education.

The study was a project of the Center on Education and the Workforce¹ at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Its findings were based on U.S. government information. Financial company JPMorgan Chase provided money for the research.

The Georgetown researchers defined a “good job” as one paying at least $35,000 a year for U.S. workers between the ages of 25 and 44 years. For those between 45 and 64, a good job was said to pay at least $45,000 a year.

The study identified three general paths leading to a good job: a high school education, middle skills, and bachelor’s degree, BA, from a college or university.

The high school path is meant for workers with a high school education or less. The middle-skills group included workers with more than a high school diploma, but less than a bachelor’s degree. Included in this group were people who earned an associate degree or attended classes or training in college, but did not have such a degree.

The report noted² that after World War II, U.S. workers with a high school diploma or less were able to get good-paying, middle-class jobs. It said that is because there were a large number of jobs in manufacturing and other industries requiring physical labor³. Most of these jobs were filled by workers with only a high school education.

But over the years, manufacturing kept moving toward greater use of machines. In addition, the U.S. and world economies went through major changes. These developments created a need for a more educated and skilled work force.

The report said that in the manufacturing-based economy of the past, about two-thirds of entry-level jobs required a high school diploma or less. Today, two-thirds of jobs require at least some education or training in addition to high school, it found.

The researchers estimated that in 1991, 15 million good jobs existed for those with a high school diploma. About 12 million good middle-skills jobs were available, while 18 million existed for people with a bachelor’s degree.

By 2016, the report found the high school path led to only 13 million good jobs. However, those 13 million jobs were responsible for about 20 percent of all good jobs, the study found. The middle-skills group grew to 16 million, while the path for bachelor’s degree holders⁴ doubled to 36 million good jobs.

Anthony Carnevale is director of the Center on Education and the Workforce, and a lead researcher on the project.

“While it’s no surprise that the BA economy has doubled the number of good jobs it provides, it really struck us that the high school economy still provides 13 million good jobs,” he said. “We also found it surprising that even though blue-collar jobs declined, middle-skills jobs have grown considerably⁵.”

The report said that the long-term future for high school-educated workers is unclear. But it estimated about 27 percent of U.S. workers aged⁶ 25 to 34 with a high school diploma currently have a good job.

The financial website Kiplinger.com recently examined a collection of data to identify the highest-paying jobs for Americans without a college degree. Among the top-rated were sales representative, computer user support specialist and power line installer, Kiplinger reported.

As the population ages, America’s health care industry will provide many more jobs for people without a college degree. These are expected to include health technologist, medical secretary, medical assistant and dental assistant, Kiplinger noted.

Other top jobs identified for high school diploma holders included oil, gas and mine service operator, self-improvement education teacher, flight attendant and plumber⁷.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

bachelor’s degree – n. a degree given to a student by a college or university usually after four years of study

automation – n. the control of something using machines and not people

decline – v. to become less in amount, importance, quality or strength

installer – n. person whose job is to put things in position and make them ready for use

plumber – n. someone whose job is to supply, connect, and repair water pipes and devices

1 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

4 holders   

支持物( holder的名词复数 )； 持有者； （支票等）持有人； 支托（或握持）…之物

参考例句：

• Slaves were mercilessly ground down by slave holders. 奴隶受奴隶主的残酷压迫。
• It is recognition of compassion's part that leads the up-holders of capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim. 正是对怜悯的作用有了认识，才使得死刑的提倡者指控主张废除死刑的人感情用事，同情谋杀犯胜过同情受害者。

5 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

6 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

7 plumber   

n.(装修水管的)管子工

参考例句：

• Have you asked the plumber to come and look at the leaking pipe?你叫管道工来检查漏水的管子了吗？
• The plumber screwed up the tap by means of a spanner.管子工用板手把龙头旋紧。