College degree loses ground as Americans without diplomas see one of best job markets in decades

For years, earning a college degree was widely viewed as a reliable way to get a leg up in the job market. 

New labor data suggest that advantage may be getting smaller, at least for young workers. Americans ages 22 to 34 without college degrees are experiencing some of their lowest unemployment levels in two decades, a Burning Glass Institute analysis reported by The Wall Street Journal found. 

Young college graduates, meanwhile, are having one of their roughest stretches over the same period. College-educated workers in that age group have only faced worse unemployment relative to their own history during the COVID-19 pandemic and the slow recovery from the 2007-09 recession.

Campus Reform | College degree loses ground as Americans without diplomas see one of best job markets in decades