- State governments contribute to degree inflation―the addition of college degree requirements to jobs that did not previously have them―through their own hiring practices, and through occupational licensing laws.
- While 39 percent of private-sector workers hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, the same is true for 63 percent of state and local government workers. Even within the same occupations, state and local governments are likelier to require a college degree.
- Several states’ occupational licensing rules require bachelor’s or master’s degrees for jobs where a lower level of education is needed in other states. States require bachelor’s or master’s degrees for many jobs that do not pay enough to justify these credentials.