Educational Requirements for Occupations
– Construction worker, shoemaker, and cleaner now require a high school diploma
– Construction supervisors, loans officers, insurance clerks, and executive assistants increasingly require a bachelor’s degree
– Becoming a director in the federal government, tutoring students, or being a history tour guide in a historic site now require a master’s degree
– Junior scientific researcher positions and sessional lecturer jobs now require a PhD
– University professor positions increasingly require one or more postdoctoral fellowship appointments
Credentialism and Professionalization
– Credentialism relies on formal qualifications or certifications to determine someone’s ability to undertake a task or work in a certain field
– Credentialism can lead to excessive reliance on academic degrees in hiring or promotion policies
– Professionalization is the process by which a trade or occupation becomes a true profession with established qualifications and a professional body
– Professionalization creates a hierarchical divide between knowledge-authorities in the profession and a deferential citizenry
– Occupational closure occurs as the profession becomes closed to entry from outsiders and unqualified individuals
Causes of Educational Inflation
– The shift to a knowledge economy has increased the demand for intellect and decreased the demand for physical labor
– Nonroutine cognitive jobs, which require high intellectual skill, have become the most common job type
– The intangible nature of knowledge labor makes it difficult to measure in potential employees
– Decreased visibility in the workplace increases the risk of underperformance in cognitive tasks
– Employers value degrees as a proxy for quality employees and for developing soft skills
History of Educational Inflation
– Western culture has experienced a rise in the attractiveness of professions and a decline in the attractiveness of manufacturing and independent business
– The Gilded Age led to a class divide between the working class and industrialists, prompting individuals to seek prestige in professions with low barriers to entry
– Legitimized professional certifications began after the turn of the twentieth century, motivated by the need to weed out unqualified workers
– Reports like the Flexner Report led to the closing of low-quality medical and law schools
– Professionalization increased, leading to the multiplication of professions and professionals
Impact of Educational Inflation
– Educational inflation can result in credential inflation, where overqualification is demanded by employers
– Increased educational requirements may be a way to reduce the number of applicants to a position
– The global nature of competitions for high-level positions may contribute to credential creep
– Educational inflation can create barriers to entry for individuals without the necessary qualifications
– The reliance on credentials can overlook valuable skills and experience that are not reflected in formal qualifications. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credentialism_and_educational_inflation
Educational inflation is the increasing educational requirements for occupations that do not require them. Credential inflation is the increasing overqualification for occupations demanded by employers.
There are some occupations that used to require a primary school diploma, such as construction worker, shoemaker, and cleaner, now require a high school diploma. Some that required a high school diploma, such as construction supervisors, loans officers, insurance clerks, and executive assistants, are increasingly requiring a bachelor's degree. Some jobs that formerly required candidates to have a bachelor's degree, such as becoming a director in the federal government, tutoring students, or being a history tour guide in a historic site, now require a master's degree. Some jobs that used to require a master's degree, such as junior scientific researcher positions and sessional lecturer jobs, now require a PhD. Also, some jobs that formerly required only a PhD, such as university professor positions, are increasingly requiring one or more postdoctoral fellowship appointments. Often increased requirements are simply a way to reduce the number of applicants to a position. The increasingly global nature of competitions for high-level positions may also be another cause of credential creep.
