Overview
- The Bipartisan Policy Center report says half of bachelor’s graduates from 2012–2021 were underemployed one year out, nearly three-quarters of those remained so a decade later, and only 61% of 2019 four-year starters finished within six years.
- The report’s signature recommendation is a Talent Advisory Council within the Executive Office of the President to coordinate education and workforce policy across agencies and strengthen linked education‑to‑employment data.
- Commissioners call for expanding apprenticeships, technical credentials, short‑term training, and other non‑degree pathways, highlighting state models such as Tennessee Promise as proof of concept.
- The analysis notes structural pressures on the labor supply and competitiveness, including a slight decline in the U.S.-born labor force since late 2019 versus 3.77 million in foreign‑born growth, and China’s roughly 2 million 2020 S&E degrees compared with about 900,000 in the U.S.
- Authors press Congress and the White House to act even as federal education spending faces cuts, key laws remain outdated, and higher‑education advocates voice concerns about overemphasizing vocational tracks.