Degree requirements for most listings dropped
Governor Maura Healey filed an executive order on Thursday to ensure most state government job listings do not include degree requirements and hiring managers use a “skills-based” approach when picking candidates to fill open positions.
Healey announced this decision during a speech to Associated Industries of Massachusetts on Thursday, in part to spur companies to rethink their approaches to hiring. She noted that career success shouldn’t be limited to the portion of the state’s population — nearly half, per a recent census count — with a bachelor’s degree.
“It will not only expand our applicant pool, it will get us more talent,” Healey told the hundreds of businesspeople gathered at the Marriott hotel in Newton. “Over time, it will help us build a more inclusive, skilled workforce than ever before.”
This shift toward “skills-based hiring,” as it’s known, is already underway in the private sector. JD Chesloff, president of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, said several of his members with a national presence, such as Verizon and American Tower, have already dropped degree requirements in favor of emphasizing skills, and Healey’s move could encourage more to join. Chesloff said this shift could help employers address the challenge of finding qualified workers while also broadening access to good jobs.
“The executive order they announced today eliminates barriers to people who are currently here and sidelined, to get them into the workforce,” Chesloff said.
The order requires state hiring managers to consider a “full set of competencies” that candidates bring to the job beyond educational attainment. Job classifications that are issued or updated in the future shall not specify a minimum level of education as a requirement.
The order makes an exception for jobs in which the state’s Human Resources Division determines certain educational requirements are deemed necessary. Even with that caveat, state officials estimate that the executive order would apply to more than 90 percent of the state’s upcoming job openings.
Kerry Bowie, president of the board of Browning the Green Space initiative, said he was happy to hear Healey’s news. His group’s mission includes advancing diversity and inclusion within the climate-tech sector in the Northeast. Removing bachelor’s degree requirements, he said, will create more opportunities.
“Some of the smartest people I know don’t have degrees,” Bowie said. “All jobs don’t need engineering degrees from MIT. Just match people with their skills.”