Mind the gap: Why an educationally diverse team is good for business
Natalie MacDonald
Senior News Editor, Special Projects Lead - APAC @ LinkedIn | Currently on parental leave
Australia’s workforce is one of the most educated in the world , according to research. Data analytics platform Statistica reports around 60% of workers have completed some form of tertiary education. On the flip side, as of May 2021 29% of employees in Australia possess no post-school qualification.
The 2023 LinkedIn Jobs on the Rise list reveals the 25 fastest-growing job titles over the past five years and the trends defining the future world of work.
Technical Program Manager took out the top spot, followed by Clinical Exercise Physiologist. (Check the list out in full here )
The data also explored the highest level of education achieved by members working in these emerging roles. More than half (52%) of Clinical Exercise Physiologists hold a Bachelor's degree, while the bulk (67.65%) of Growth Specialists in Australia have a Master's degree. By contrast, just 1.49% of Claims Adjusters have no further formal education beyond their high school degree. (You can see more on the methodology at the bottom of this article)
The jobs on the rise with the highest proportion of high school leavers by percentage:
Youth advocate Yasmin Poole (pictured below) points to the value of an educationally diverse team, particularly as Australian firms deal with a skills shortage, telling LinkedIn News Australia , “There’s too much of a focus on employing people from high ranked universities; it should really be about what skills and ideas you can bring.”
"The pandemic has catalysed how we can do multiple things at once and don’t have to follow a linear education to workforce pipeline,” says Poole, who earlier this year was the youngest person to attend the Jobs and Skills Summit .
“Lived experience is knowledge, and that knowledge is essential to creating an inclusive environment and better understanding the diversity of a business’ clientele too.”
Poole, named Martin Luther King Jr Center Young Influencer of the Year in 2021, believes it will become increasingly normal to see young people studying part time, developing an online business venture and working a side job — all from their home.
“Companies need to be thinking about this changing work style and how this fits into their business.”
That’s not to say gen Z in Australia are turning their backs on further education altogether. US research ?shows only 51% of gen Z teens are interested in pursuing a four-year degree, down from 71% in May 2020. But Poole, who is currently?researching intersectional public policy at the University of Oxford ?as one of 100 Rhodes scholars selected from participating countries, says the situation at home is different.
“We don’t have the same level of student loans as in the US. The majority of my undergraduate peers studied a double degree, as did I. For many, doing a double degree or longer degree allows them to study more subjects that they are interested in, gives them more time to think about the career they want. This time for exploration is also a safety net — I found that many students re-enrolled in postgraduate degrees in university during the pandemic to avoid job uncertainty.”
However soaring inflation coupled with a cost-of-living crisis are issues that OzHarvest board member Poole says need addressing.
“The costs of rent, food and books can be very difficult for students studying full time and there are only limited scholarships available. I think that steps to reduce these barriers would encourage more young people to deep dive into learning for longer, and I think that’s a net benefit for all of us in the long term.”
Tertiary education or not, there is one common theme considered a make-or-break for young people as they consider the type of roles they wish to pursue, and the type of firm they wish to work at: values alignment.
“We want to feel like our work is making a difference and that we are part of a company we can be proud of – especially considering we’re spending most of our week there! Living by values such as inclusivity and sustainability show that companies are listening and responding to what is happening on the outside, which signals that they’re open minded and adaptive to change.”
But it’s not just about written values, it’s about feeling valued too, Poole tells LinkedIn News.
“The disruption of Covid-19?exposed what companies were committed to creating a healthy and flexible working environment for their staff compared to those who did not. Companies need to align their values to action, and that includes supporting their staff to be the best they can be.”
What are the benefits of having an educationally diverse workforce? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
News for you
When sisters Neisha and Sharleen Dunn, aged 18 and 17 respectively, gave birth in their final year of school, Sharleen didn't think she was going to make it to year 12.
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However, a program on the NSW Mid North Coast has helped them to continue attending classes.
Developed in 2015, the Ginda Barri Mums and Bubs program at Kempsey's Macleay Vocational College not only helps young parents complete their HSC exams, but provides housing and welfare assistance, daily meals and the opportunity to get their drivers licence, reports Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) journalist Madeleine Cross . Check out the full story below.
Boosting the number of women in tech
The latest Jobs on the Rise list doesn’t only point to an education gap within the fastest growing roles, but a gender gap too — particularly when it comes to technology.
While LinkedIn data shows that women are making up an increasing number of new hires in the listed tech roles, men remain overrepresented. When evaluating the gender share of the fastest-growing job titles over the past five years, Product Designer sits at a more balanced 44% female; 56% male, while Service Desk Engineer highlights a gender share of 8% female; 92% male.
LinkedIn News Technology & Innovation Editor Marty McCarthy spoke with female tech leaders , who are worried that if the disparity is not addressed the technology products and algorithms of the future — including artificial intelligence — will contain latent bias against women.
Here’s what they had to say:
Roisin O'Neill - Head, _nology : “Does your [hiring] process capture the experience of people from non-typical backgrounds? Does it reinforce that very traditional education, experience, and communication styles are what "work" for you? Or do you look for people that demonstrate the right competencies and culture, rather than ticking all the "skills required" boxes?” Mina Radhakrishnan - Co-founder, :Different : "Once women are in the workplace they need to be promoted at the same levels, they need to rise to leadership at the same levels and they need to be in work environments where the needs of women — such as good maternity (and paternity) and parental policies — are met.” Flavia Tata Nardini – CEO and Co-Founder Fleet Space Technologies : "This year we have hired a STEM coordinator at Fleet and we are going into schools because I want the next generation of females to think they can become scientists, CEOs, founders and investors."
Something for you
“I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice.” The resignation of?Jacinda Ardern , New Zealand’s youngest Prime Minister in 150 years, has sparked a worldwide conversation about knowing when it's time to quit and the importance of leaders speaking up about wellbeing.
We want to hear from you: How important is it for leaders to speak up about their own wellbeing? How do you assess what you have ‘in the tank’?
In 2019, the outgoing PM spoke with LinkedIn News on topics including work-life balance and allyship as part of our International Women's Day coverage.
Check out the video in full below and leave your thoughts in a comment on the post where you'll find other professionals weighing in.
Jobs on the Rise list methodology?
The?2023 LinkedIn Jobs on the Rise ?list reveals the 25 fastest-growing job titles over the past five years and the trends defining the future world of work. LinkedIn Economic Graph researchers examined millions of jobs started by LinkedIn members from January 1, 2018 to July 31, 2022 to calculate a growth rate for each job title.
Job Insights?
Education share and gender distribution for each of the job titles are based on LinkedIn profiles of members holding the title and/or open jobs for that title in the country.
Education share?results were derived by analysing the highest degree attained by members with the featured title, then calculating the number of members with each degree as a share of total degree holders for each title.?
Current gender distribution?was calculated by measuring the number of members by identified gender currently in each job (provided there was meaningful gender data) as a percentage of the 74123total members with known gender per job.
Additional reporting by: Cayla Dengate
It is but for the wrong reasons though.
Access Consultant | Advocating AI Solutions
1 年A great deal of these qualification were obtained when accessibility and inclusion were unheard of. A great deal of education, premises, materials, services etc remain inaccessible. Sometimes outright exclusive. We can all benefit from further education including those who have obtained qualifications before access and inclusion was a thing. That education must be accessible. Lived experience should be channeled and valued, not managed and hidden behind a cloak of shame. I am going to get angry and triggered reading some of the things I read - experiencing the things I experience - let me be angry and passionate - learn from my anger and passion and use it to create a better future which does not exclude the many brilliant minds that are currently excluded.
This post is a very important post. People who achieve high levels of career success without completing higher education are the exception to the rule that education (learning to think systematically, systemically, deeply and critically) provides a leg up in career terms, but more importantly, throughout the journey of life. Most of those people who have been successful without completing some higher education look for opportunities to improve their education throughout the journey. It is not simply a matter of whom will be a better employee. Obviously, people can and do pick up skills and have different abilities both at the outset and over the course of their careers. Tertiary education does not automatically equate to excellence in the workforce--no one said it does. Improving one's thinking ability, however, is not a liability in any but the most menial of jobs. Encouraging education is encouraging people to develop themselves and their capacity to be the best they can be--in their careers and personally.
Adjunct Professor the University of Adelaide
1 年Over 30 years ago schools started promoting the idea that all school leavers should aim to have a degree. Government liked the idea as keeping people in school longer reduced unemployment. Technical schools were closed and schools renamed "colleges". The underlying aim was to down grade the status of trades and blue collar jobs, create labour shortages and give manufacturers an excuse to offshore. University enrolments dramatically increased. The philosophy that every school leaver should get a degree and those without one are second class citizens is simply wrong. Not all young people want to get a degree. For some, it may be beyond their capabilities (of course we should not criticise anyone who wants to aspire to one). Further, we constantly hear calls for more and more immigration because of the "skills shortage". At the same time many highly experienced older Australians are being retrenched and are finding employment difficult (impossible) because they are told they lack a degree (amongst other convenient reasons). Employment should be blind to age, race, gender etc but all too often social and political agendas corrupt labour markets at the cost of productivity and equality.