The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Senate Committee on Labor and Technology on March 22, 2023.
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March 22, 2023
3 p.m.
Conference Room 224
VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE
To: Senate Committee on Labor and Technology
Sen. Sharon Moriwaki, Chair
Sen. Chris Lee, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns
RE: SCR122 — URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT TO REEXAMINE THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR VACANT STATE POSITIONS AND REPLACE THE REQUIREMENT OF A BACHELOR’S DEGREE WITH AN ASSOCIATE DEGREE OR CERTIFICATE, WHERE APPLICABLE.
Comments Only
Dear Chair and Committee Members:
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii would like to offer its comments on SCR122, which would urge the state Department of Human Resources Development to review its qualifications for vacant state positions to determine if such positions should have a bachelor’s degree as one of its minimum requirements.
This resolution would also encourage the department to accept for certain jobs associate degrees or certificates instead of bachelor’s degrees.
The intent of this resolution is to remove arbitrary barriers to entry for those seeking to work in state government — barriers that prevent many qualified applicants from applying.
A bachelor’s degree is not necessary for many state jobs, even though some departments require one simply out of habit. A degree may indicate a certain set of skills, but it is by no means the only indicator.
A study from the Burning Glass Institute and Harvard University researchers stated “When employers drop degrees, they become more specific about skills in job postings, spelling out the soft skills that may have been assumed to come with a college education, such as writing, communication, and being detail-oriented.”[1]
Maryland, Utah, Pennsylvania and Alaska have all enacted policies aimed at removing arbitrary degree requirements for state jobs.[2] Hawaii should follow their lead.
For the record, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that only about a third of Hawaii residents age 25 or older have bachelor’s degrees.[3]
Similarly, the nonprofit Opportunity@Work reports that individuals who do not possess four-year bachelor degrees but who are “skilled through alternative routes” made up 59% of Hawaii’s workforce in 2019, compared to 53% of the workforce nationwide.[4] Given this data, it is clear that this would broaden employment opportunities for local residents.
While we are supportive of this resolution, we do not support utilizing this measure as a means to expand government spending or the state workforce. Rather, this resolution should be focused on filling existing government positions.
Thank you for the opportunity to submit our comments.
Sincerely,
Ted Kefalas
Director of Strategic Campaigns
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
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[1] Joseph Fuller, Christina Langer, Julia Nitschke, Layla O’Kane, Matt Sigelman and Bledi Taska, “The Emerging Degree Reset: How the Shift to Skills-Based Hiring Holds the Keys to Growing the U.S. Workforce at a Time of Talent Shortage,” Burning Glass Institute, 2022, p. 3.
[2] Kathryn Moody, “Pennsylvania ends 4-year degree requirement for majority of state jobs,” HR Dive, Jan. 24, 2023; and Joey Klecka and Elena Symmes, “4-year degree no longer required for some state jobs,” Alaska’s New Source, Feb. 14, 2023.
[3] “QuickFacts: Hawaii,” U.S. Census Bureau, accessed March 20, 2023.
[4] Communication with Ashley Edwards, Director for Data Services at Opportunity@Work, Aug. 17, 2022.
