blog post Testimony: Closing California’s Workforce Skills Gap By Hans Johnson May 18, 2016 Hans Johnson, PPIC Higher Education Center director, testifies before a legislative subcommittee and identifies specific goals that together could close California’s workforce skills gap.
blog post Testimony: Transfer Is Key to Closing the Workforce Skills Gap By Hans Johnson Mar 20, 2018 California faces a shortage of 1.1 million highly educated workers. Making transferring from community college more efficient will help.
Report Will California Run Out of College Graduates? By Hans Johnson, Sarah Bohn, Marisol Cuellar Mejia Oct 12, 2015 California’s higher education system is a critical driver of the state’s economic progress. As the state’s economy continues to change, will its workforce be ready for the jobs of tomorrow? This report updates and extends projections of California’s workforce skills through 2030, focusing on the supply and demand for workers with a bachelor’s degree. We find that the state will fall about 1.1 million college graduates short of economic demand if current trends persist—a problem we call the workforce skills gap. Even the arrival of highly educated workers from elsewhere is unlikely to be large enough to fill this gap. Today’s college graduates have better economic outcomes than those who do not hold a bachelor’s degree. Over time, college graduates have seen lower rates of unemployment and higher wages than other workers—even through the Great Recession—suggesting that college degrees have become increasingly valuable in California’s labor market. The future workforce skills gap looms large. But California and its higher education institutions can take several practical steps to close it. The core of a new plan for higher education should include increasing access to the state’s four-year institutions, improving college completion rates, expanding transfer pathways from community colleges, and being smart about aid programs.
event A Regional Approach to Closing the Workforce Skills Gap Jun 28, 2017 If current trends persist, California will face a severe shortage of college graduates by 2030. What can colleges and universities do to help close this workforce skills gap? PPIC researcher Kevin Cook will outline findings from a new report, and a panel of experts will discuss the challenges facing California’s higher education systems and the promise of regional approaches in key parts of the state: Los Angeles County, the Inland Empire, and the San Joaquin Valley.
Report California’s Need for Skilled Workers By Sarah Bohn Sep 17, 2014 If recent trends continue, California is likely to face a shortage of workers with some college education but less than a bachelor’s degree by 2025. State and federal policymakers have increased their focus on boosting educational opportunities for this segment of the workforce. This report examines labor market outcomes among workers with some college training to shed light on the types of jobs that hold the most promise for future workers and the state economy.
blog post Testimony: Closing California’s Degree Gap By Hans Johnson Mar 3, 2016 The most promising approach to closing the workforce skills gap is to concentrate on improving the educational attainment of California residents.
blog post Testimony: How Can California Produce More College Graduates? By Hans Johnson Feb 6, 2018 California needs to produce 1.1 million more college graduates by 2030 to meet economic demand. Here is how each university segment can help reach that goal.
Report California’s Future Workforce: Will There Be Enough College Graduates? By Deborah Reed Dec 7, 2008 Over the past several decades, the demand in California for college-educated workers has grown. But the supply of college graduates has not kept pace with demand, and it appears that this “workforce skills gap” will not only continue but widen. This study examines the causes, magnitude, and likely consequences of the potential mismatch between the level of education the future population is likely to possess and the level of education demanded by the future economy. The author concludes that if current trends continue, California will experience a serious shortfall of college graduates by 2025, unable to meet its needs even through the migration of college graduates from other states.
blog post Immigrants Are Key to the State’s High-Skilled Workforce By Hans Johnson, Marisol Cuellar Mejia Feb 3, 2017 Immigrants now make up a substantial share of California’s highly educated workers.
