Both Catherine Rampell of the New York Times and Matthew O’Brien of the Atlantic have articles (which you can find here and here) on the continuing evidence that those with four year degrees have done best since the onset of the Great Recession. It’ s not close!
Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data through March 2013 reveals this jobs performance sine December 2009. (College graduate means four year degrees or more. Some college no BA includes those with associates degrees.)
The bottom line as Rampell writes is: “In other words, college-educated workers have gobbled up all of the net job gains. In fact there are now more employed college graduates than there are employed high school graduates and high school dropouts put together.” (Emphasis added.)
Rampell also provides the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data (through 2011) on employment by education status for those in their twenties. Same story, but not as good results.
As O’Brien writes: “During the recession, college graduates didn’t lose many jobs, while everyone else did. But during the recovery, college grads have gained the most jobs, while everyone else mostly hasn’t. … People without any postsecondary education not only got hit hardest during the downturn, but have also gotten hit during the upturn. In other words, they have even lost jobs during the recovery. Remember that the next time a college grad (or anyone else) tells you college isn’t worth it anymore.”
