America's Forgotten Middle-Skill Jobs

The demand for workers to fill jobs in the middle of the labor market—those that require more than high-school, but less than a four-year degree—will likely remain quite robust relative to its supply, especially in key sectors of the economy. Accordingly, we see a need for increased U.S. investment in high-quality education and training in the middle of the skills range—not just for college graduates in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.
In this paper, we review evidence on how the demand for workers with different levels of education and training will evolve over the next decade and beyond. We analyze data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on recent and projected future demand for jobs in the middle of the labor market. We also consider projected trends in the supply of workers at different levels of education.