The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means on Feb. 18, 2025.
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Feb. 18, 2025 10:01 a.m.
Hawaii State Capitol
Conference Room 211 and Videoconference
To: Senate Committee on Ways and Means
Sen. Donovan M. Dela Cruz, Chair
Sen. Sharon Y. Moriwaki, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns
RE: COMMENTS IN SUPPORT OF SB1065 SD1 — RELATING TO SKILLS-BASED HIRING
Aloha Chair Dela Cruz, Vice-Chair Moriwaki and other members of the Committee,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii would like to offer its support for SB1065 SD1, which would prohibit state agencies and departments from requiring a bachelor’s degree as a condition of eligibility for a position in state employment unless “the knowledge, skills, or abilities required for the position … can only reasonably be obtained” through a bachelor’s degree.
A bachelor’s degree is not necessary for many state jobs, even though it is often required. 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 noted that “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, Alaska and many other states have enacted policies aimed at removing arbitrary degree requirements for state jobs.[2] Grassroot believes that 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 measure would broaden employment opportunities for local residents.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Ted Kefalas
Director of Strategic Campaigns
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
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[1] Joseph Fuller, Christina Langer, Julia Nitschke, et al., “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 Feb. 4, 2025.
[4] Communication with Ashley Edwards, Director for Data Services at Opportunity@Work, Aug. 17, 2022.
