Looking for a High-Demand Degree? These Fields Need the Most College-Educated Workers

The U.S. is facing a skills shortage in college-educated professionals, and a new study found seven jobs that will likely be hit the hardest. This leaves open opportunities for grads seeking employment.

According to a new Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) report, 18.4 million college-educated people are expected to retire through 2032, and only 13.8 million are entering the workforce. The U.S. is also projected to add over 600,000 new jobs, leaving a need for over 5 million college-educated workers.

The solution? The report suggests removing barriers for underrepresented student groups who historically have lower graduation rates.

If you’re looking for a career that needs college-educated workers, here are seven that are most likely to fit the bill by 2032.

The COVID-19 pandemic was responsible for a 14% turnover rate during the 2021-22 academic year, according to the report. A 2022 National Education Association report found that 55% of educators said the pandemic made them more likely to retire or leave teaching earlier than planned.

According to the report, over 1 million nurses are expected to retire by 2030. There’s also a shortage of teaching faculty, possibly due to these professionals earning lower salaries than what nurses in the field make.

There were 1.6 million accountants in 2023, down from 2 million in 2019. This is despite the fact that job postings are up from prepandemic numbers.

The Georgetown report says these positions could be unfilled due to the aging workforce, educational requirements, potential employees choosing related fields that pay more, and an uncertainty around software automating the field.

Undergraduates are disproportionately entering aerospace, chemical, materials, and mechanical engineering, while shortages are expected in civil, electrical, industrial, and software engineering.

The report finds that the shortages may impact rural areas the most since there are 1,300 U.S. counties with less than one attorney per 1,000 residents.

While the report projects more shortages in primary care, there are expected to be surpluses in critical care, emergency medicine, general pediatric primary care, and pulmonology.

According to the report, 82% of managers have more than a high school diploma, and 56% have at least a bachelor’s degree. There is no specific way to become a manager — most become managers through promotions with experience, responsibility, and education.

A skills shortage occurs when employers have a high demand for a certain skill set but don’t have enough qualified workers.

Alongside a shrinking population and a looming college “enrollment cliff,” a variety of factors contribute to the skills shortage, including:

One of the solutions the report suggests is focusing on underrepresented and low-income populations who historically have had lower high school graduation rates.

“A significant amount of talent currently goes untapped, especially among young people from marginalized racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups, with disparities in opportunity and access throughout K-12 contributing to lower high school graduation rates and inadequate college preparation,” the report reads.

The report said that as of fall 2022, 44% of students in K-12 schools were white. Hispanic and Latino/a students were 29% of the K-12 enrollment, and Black/African American students were 15%.

However, Hispanic and Latino/a and Black/African American students have historically faced lower graduation rates.

Similarly, low-income students also face barriers to higher education. About 50% of low-income high school graduates enrolled in college within 18 months after graduation, compared to 89% from the top socioeconomic quintile.

Nearly the same percentage (49%) of students from families making $35,000 or less per year graduated from college within eight years compared to 77.5% of children from families with incomes of $115,001.

“Skills shortages present an opportunity for millions of workers, particularly those from low-income households and marginalized racial/ethnic groups, to gain better access to economic opportunity, and for American industries to connect with enormous untapped talent,” said co-author and CEW Director Jeff Strohl.