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Opportunity Occupations: Well-Paying Jobs for Middle-Skill Workers

Author

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  • Mels de Zeeuw

Abstract

Did you know that only 29.7 percent of Americans over the age of 25 have attained a four-year college degree? Given many policymakers' focus on increasing the share of individuals who attain a degree, that may sound like a surprisingly low number. It leaves a large group of American workers who do not have a four-year degree and lack the means or desire to obtain one in the current labor market. In fact, "middle-skill" Americans, defined as those who have obtained their high school diploma but not a four-year college degree, comprise some 57 percent of the country's total population of those over 25. That begs the question, what opportunities and decent-paying jobs exist for these workers? And how can workforce development policies and career education increase access to these positions?

Suggested Citation

  • Mels de Zeeuw, 2017. "Opportunity Occupations: Well-Paying Jobs for Middle-Skill Workers," Workforce Currents 2017-02, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
  • Handle: RePEc:fip:a00034:88162
    DOI: 10.29338/wc2017-02
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    opportunity occupations; workforce development;

    JEL classification:

    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure

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