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Rep. Krishnamoorthi introduces Opportunity to Compete Act
The Act aims to prevent job applicants without a bachelor's degree from being automatically disqualified by computerized hiring systems.
Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi and John James have introduced the bipartisan Opportunity to Compete Act. This legislation aims to ensure that individuals who acquire their skills through alternative routes (STARs) are given fair consideration in the hiring process, regardless of whether they hold a bachelor's degree.
The Opportunity to Compete Act aims to prevent job applicants without a bachelor's degree from being automatically disqualified by computerized hiring systems solely based on their educational background. The bill accomplishes this by mandating that employers who utilize automated degree requirements in their hiring processes must reveal the expected years of experience for the job and permit applicants to substitute relevant work experience in place of a traditional four-year degree.
It acknowledges that a significant portion of the U.S. workforce, approximately two-thirds of individuals, lacks a bachelor's degree but may have acquired valuable skills through diverse pathways such as community college, apprenticeships, military service, and hands-on training.
“As American workers and employers seek to meet the rapidly changing needs of the 21st century, we must eliminate discrimination against workers who meet every qualification for the jobs for which they are applying except for having a bachelor’s degree,” said Krishnamoorthi. “The Opportunity to Compete Act will address this issue by ensuring prospective employees are evaluated based on whether they have the relevant skills and experience to do the job rather than whether they have a four-year degree.”
Although automation and technological advancements have streamlined the hiring process for employers, they have also played a role in the increasing demand for degrees in jobs that historically didn't necessitate them. As per a 2021 study, over 90 percent of employers acknowledged using a Recruitment Management System (RMS) to automate the initial screening of job candidates, with nearly half using educational qualifications as a filtering criterion. Paradoxically, around 90 percent of employers agreed that highly competent applicants are often overlooked in the hiring process because their resumes do not precisely align with the criteria set by the RMS.
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