Good Jobs Are Back: College Graduates Are First in Line Anthony P. Carnevale, Tamara Jayasundera and Artem Gulish

August 17, 2015

Overview •  Despite stories in the media about low-wage jobs

dominating the recovery, our report finds good jobs have grown the most in the recovery

•  Most of the good jobs are full-time and provide health insurance and retirement plans

•  A majority of the good jobs created have gone to college graduates

What is a Good Job? Jobs that: •  Offer more than $53,000 annual earnings •  Are full-time •  Provide employer-provided health insurance •  Provide employer-sponsored retirement plans

Of the 6.6 million jobs created, 2.9 million were good jobs

Good Jobs(more than $53,000)*

Middle-wage jobs($32,000-$53,000)*

Low-wage jobs(less than 32,000)*

3M

2M

1M

2.9Mjobs

1.9Mjobs 1.8M

jobs

Middle-wage and low-wage jobs have recovered at a slower rate

•  Middle-wage jobs have not fully recovered from the recession –  They remain 900,000 below their pre-recession employment levels

•  Low-wage jobs have recovered from all recession job losses –  However, they are still growing at a slower rate than good jobs

Full-time jobs make up the majority of good jobs

•  Eighty-six percent of good jobs are full-time •  Eighty percent of middle-wage jobs are full-time •  Sixty-two percent of low-wage jobs are full-time –  Low-wage jobs are now more likely to be part-time than

they were in the Great Recession  

The majority of good jobs include benefits health insurance and employer-sponsored retirement plan as workers in low-wage jobs.

Healt

h

Insu

ran

ce

68% 54% 33%

61% 46% 25%

Reti

rem

en

t

Pla

n

Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce analysis of Current Population Survey (CPS) data, 2008.

Share of workers

Good jobs Middle-wage jobs Low-wage jobs

College graduates landed the majority of good jobs

3M3M

000

Employment change in good jobs, 2010-2014

152K

Some College/AABA or higher

2.8M

High school

diploma or less

-39,000

Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce analysis of Current Population Survey (CPS) data 2010-2014.

Managerial and professional office professions account for the most growth among good jobs

Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce analysis of Current Population Survey (CPS) , data, 2010-2014.

2M2M

000

Employment change in high-wage occupations, 2010-2014

Managerial and Healthcare

professional

and technical

Community

services

and the arts

EducationBlue collarSTEM

Sales and

support

881,000

445,000

13,000124,000

4,000

1,781,000

-184,000-71,000

Food and

personal

services

-200K

Conclusion •  Obtaining a college degree is the best option to finding a good

job. The more education you have, the better your chances to land a full-time job that provides benefits and a competitive salary.

For more information: See the full report at cew.georgetown.edu/goodjobsareback

Email Us | cewgeorgetown@georgetown.edu

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