Hawaiʻi’s future jobs: 70% require postsecondary education by 2031

February 19, 2024
UH News

Seventy percent of all jobs in Hawaiʻi in 2031 will require postsecondary education beyond high school and 36% will require at least a bachelorʻs degree, according to a new report by Georgetown University, After Everything: Projections of Jobs, Education, and Training Requirements through 2031. The report demonstrates the important role postsecondary education will play in preparing the workforce of the future, according to Hawaiʻi P–20 Partnerships for Education Executive Director Stephen Schatz.

“I think there is a misconception now that there are jobs that are great right here in Hawaiʻi that you can get right after high school with just a high school diploma and that’s just not the case,” said Schatz. “We’re seeing that you need some kind of training whether that’s an apprenticeship program, whether it’s a degree at a community college or whether it’s a four-year degree—some kind of post-high school training and education is what’s going to get our kids into local jobs.”

Nationally in 2021, about 68% of all jobs required at least some postsecondary education. By 2031, the report projects that 72% of jobs will require postsecondary education or training, and 42% of all jobs will require at least a bachelor’s degree.

“We’ve seen waves of this in the past, but the growing doubt about the value of a college degree is alarming. Couple the influx of infrastructure jobs with politicians on both sides saying people don’t need degrees, and you get a generation of young people who think college isn’t necessary,” Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce Director and lead author Anthony P. Carnevale said. “But our findings show, once again, that postsecondary education and training has become the threshold requirement for access to middle-class status and earnings. It is no longer the preferred pathway to middle-class jobs; it is increasingly the only pathway.”

According to the report, the number of jobs in Hawaiʻi will increase from 591,000 in 2021 to 624,000 in 2031, with an average of 72,000 job openings annually, from new jobs and jobs that open for other reasons, most frequently retirement. Of the 72,000 annual job openings, 51,000 will be for workers with postsecondary credentials, 18,000 will be for those with a high school diploma and 3,000 will be for those with less than a high school diploma.

“As the jobs become more competitive, the type of skill sets required becomes more vast and expansive, they do need a more prepared and educated workforce,” said Sherry Menor-McNamara, the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii’s president and CEO. “While some high school graduates will go directly to careers, it’s also important for students to explore the opportunity to go the college route so that they can expose themselves to not only the curriculum but also what a university affords.”

Aligning education to workforce training
There are a number of initiatives underway at UH to prepare the workforce of the future for Hawaiʻi. The Hawaiʻi P–20 Council—a group composed of education, business, and community leaders– launched “Hawaiʻi Graduates for Hawaiʻi’s Future” to ensure that all stakeholders are working together to align the education pipeline with workforce needs.

The UH Strategic Plan 2023–2029 also identifies developing successful students for a better future, meeting Hawaiʻi’s workforce needs and diversifying Hawaiʻi’s economy through UH innovation and research as top priorities.

“As the sole provider of higher education in the state, the 10-campus UH system, and supporting UH, will be key in preparing the workforce of the future,” said Schatz. “It begins in recognizing the value of post secondary education. It’s not only for the good of our collective state, it’s about the impact higher education can have on an individual as it is, by far, the best way to boost economic mobility.”

UH degrees affordable, significant return on investment
UH Economic Research Organization (UHERO) researchers found that lifetime earnings are $2.8 million for bachelor’s degree holders, 27% higher compared to those without a degree, and $2.7 million for Associate of Science (AS) and Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree holders, 22% higher than those without a degree.

UHERO also found that while college tuition has significantly increased nationally over the last 20 years, even after adjusting for inflation, tuition within the UH system has become more affordable over the last decade.

$20M grant, grad goals part of Hawaiʻi P–20 successes in 2023

December 21, 2023
UH News

The development of “Hawaiʻi Graduates for Hawaiʻi‘s Future,” earning a $20 million federal grant to boost early education efforts and the expansion of work-based learning across the state are a few of the highlights in the Hawaiʻi P–20 Partnerships for Education (P–20) 2023 Annual Report.

Hawaiʻi P–20 is a statewide partnership led by the University of Hawaiʻi System, Hawaiʻi Executive Office on Early Learning and the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education that works to strengthen the education pipeline from early childhood through postsecondary education and training.

Hawaiʻi Graduates for Hawaiʻi‘s Future is a new goal focused on educational progress that leads to students being able to find good jobs in Hawaiʻi, with a concerted effort to align educational programs with workforce needs and economic development. This commitment is displayed both in UH’s newly adopted Strategic Plan and the State of Hawaiʻi Board of Education’s Strategic Plan.

In January 2023, Hawaiʻi P–20 was awarded a nearly $20 million federal grant to strengthen the early childhood system by building upon existing federal, state, and local early learning and care investments. This grant will support coordination and collaboration among the state’s existing programs, improve program quality, expand access, invest in workforce and maximize parental engagement in the early childhood mixed delivery system.

Hawaiʻi P–20 has provided resources and support for several work-based learning intermediary organizations to expand work-based learning. Each regional intermediary organization increased student participation in job shadowing, mock interviews and internship opportunities. Hawaiʻi P–20 aims to expand the program to more schools.

Other highlights:
– The Stay at Home, Grow Your Own Teacher Pathway pilot project was developed to address one of Hawaiʻi’s biggest challenges: high teacher vacancy rates especially in the most rural schools, and schools with the highest poverty rates among students.
– There is promising college enrollment data for GEAR UP Hawaiʻi and Soar Higher schools. Between 2020 and 2022, college enrollment at schools with transition support programs showed a 3.2% increase in college enrollment compared to a 0.4% decrease at high schools without them.
– In partnership with the UH Community Colleges, Ke Ala Naʻauao mentors implemented its first onboarding campaign, Finish in a Flash. This campaign aimed to support graduating seniors in completing their enrollment steps to college in early May.