The rules of hiring are changing. For the first time, the majority of US job postings on Indeed don’t require a college degree. A new case study shows why this shift matters and how it’s creating better matches between employers and the 70 million workers who’ve been systematically overlooked.

The Problem: Degree Requirements as Broken Proxies

Traditional hiring practices use degrees as a shortcut for qualifications, but this approach screens out more than half the workforce: workers Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs). These are people who’ve built valuable skills through military service, community college, training programs, or on-the-job experience. Yet 64% of job seekers believe they’ve been overlooked simply because they lack a bachelor’s degree.

Opportunity@Work, a non-profit social enterprise, calls this “the paper ceiling,” and it’s not just hurting job seekers. It’s hurting employers too. While 87% of companies report skills gaps, many continue using degree requirements that exclude qualified candidates. The irony? 92% of hiring managers agree the best place to acquire skills is on the job.

The Opportunity: Skills-First as Business Strategy

Indeed saw an opportunity: millions of qualified workers were being screened out by employers before even applying. We partnered with Opportunity@Work to help change this, leveraging their expertise in the skills-first movement and deep connection to the STARs community.

Opportunity@Work brought expertise and authenticity that shaped our approach. They provided job-level data showing where degree requirements could be removed, recommended features like job mobility pathway mapping, and helped us design tools that authentically serve STARs and all job seekers. This collaboration informed products like Smart Sourcing and AI-powered agents Career Scout and Talent Scout that match people to jobs based on skills, not just credentials.

The Impact: Real Results for Job Seekers and Employers

The data demonstrates clear impact:

The real story is in the lives changed. Jared Rogers, Partnerships & Brand Activations Program Manager at Indeed, describes what removing degree requirements meant to him: “Finding roles that remove that requirement is truly an exciting feeling, like I really just might have a chance.”

What This Means for Employers

Skills-first hiring creates competitive advantage. It refines talent pools, improves retention, and leads to better matches. Employers who focus on what candidates can do rather than where they learned it access millions of qualified workers who’ve been systematically overlooked.

As AI reshapes work and organizations rethink how they operate, now is the time to examine what skills roles actually require. That question opens doors for both job seekers and the businesses that hire them.

Read the full case study to learn how Indeed and Opportunity@Work are making skills-first hiring the norm.

  1. Indeed test data, US, May 2025, based on the average hires per apply