Employers in the United States are facing a major challenge: a talent shortage. There are currently 9.5 million open jobs — but not enough qualified applicants to fill them. 

While 2 million students graduate from traditional universities each year, over 40% of employers say their biggest challenge today is sourcing talent. “From the employer perspective, you’re in the war for talent,” said Connor Diemand-Yauman, cofounder of Merit America, a nonprofit that helps Americans transform their lives with better-paying and more fulfilling careers. “Many employers are losing this war.”

How do we win the war for talent? 

Experts say it starts with eliminating three words dreaded by job seekers — and holding America back.

1. Tear the paper ceiling

“Bachelor’s degree required” — Byron Auguste refers to these three words as the “paper ceiling.” Auguste is the CEO of Opportunity@Work, a nonprofit committed to helping all U.S. workers achieve their full potential through working and contributing to the economy.

Most job descriptions in the United States list degree requirements, but the reasons for doing so are often arbitrary. Employers are signaling that even those with four-year degrees frequently don’t have the skills necessary for the in-demand jobs of today. 

“The problem of degree exclusion is a simple math problem,” Auguste said. “In the last 20 years, about 70% of new jobs say you need a bachelor’s degree, but only 40% of Americans have a bachelor’s degree. To say you need a bachelor’s degree of any kind to be a salesperson, to be a manager, to be an IT support specialist — that is very common, but it makes no sense.”

Not only that, but it immediately excludes almost 70% of Hispanic workers, 70% of Black workers, and more than 70% of rural workers. 

In total, 70 million Americans are skilled through job training. Tearing that paper ceiling — by eliminating arbitrary degree requirements — could be a game changer for these workers, for employers, and for the U.S. economy.

2. Create more launchpads 

But if employees don’t attend a traditional college, where will they gain the skills necessary to perform well on the job? 

That’s where tailored training programs can fill the gap — programs like Merit America. 

“Talent is everywhere in our country, but opportunity is not,” said Rebecca Taber Staehelin, cofounder of Merit America.

The United States has an abundant, untapped resource in its workforce. However, many work in jobs that pay less than $30,000 a year. They’re stuck because they don’t have the time or money to go to college. 

“That low-wage work becomes a life sentence and not a launchpad,” Diemand-Yauman said. 

Merit America has created a launchpad: The nonprofit prepares workers for high-demand, entry-level roles through flexible, online learning. It also provides coaching to help workers apply their relevant skills toward new careers and pathways to the middle class. 

Instead of taking four years to complete a college degree, Merit America’s participants finish within six months and are immediately job-ready. To date, the program has served more than 15,000 U.S. workers. 

“If you can take anybody from any background and within six months give them a skill set, that’s not only extraordinary for them, it’s great for the economy,” said Jesse White, CEO of Intact Technology, an employer partner with Merit America. “And without that, we’re literally not going to be able to keep up with our competitors globally.”

3. Maximize the existing infrastructure

What do we do with existing higher education models? 

According to Parminder Jassal, they’re part of the employment solution, but we can improve the system. 

Jassal is the founder and CEO of Unmudl, a skills-to-jobs marketplace for people who are working and learning simultaneously. 

“We have an infrastructure of almost 1,000 community colleges across the United States, and they are the local resource, especially for disadvantaged folks,” she said. “But why can’t they be a resource for everyone?” 

Unmudl connects employers seeking skilled talent with local workers eager to learn and community colleges offering specialized training. By directly engaging with companies, Unmudl identifies workforce needs — how many electricians, programmers, or data scientists are needed, when they’re needed, and the required training. It then partners with community and technical colleges to provide hands-on learning with expert instructors, creating a fast, seamless pipeline from education to in-demand jobs.

“[Community colleges] form this national development spine across America,” Jassal said. “Now, they’ve become very agile and nimble to be able to respond to talent demand from various companies. And every American has access to the education they need.”

Small changes, major impact

These three approaches don’t require massive overhauls of existing systems, but their impact could be transformative. They provide direct pipelines for the talent of today to fill the jobs of tomorrow — transforming the lives of individuals through fulfilling careers and strengthening both the workforce and our nation. 

“This is an issue that impacts all of us,” Diemand-Yauman said. “It’s not just felt by the companies and by the employees who are boxed out. This affects the entire country.” 

The Stand Together community partners with changemakers who are tackling the root causes of America’s biggest problems. 

Learn more about Stand Together’s efforts to transform the future of work and explore ways you can partner with us.