Employers Favor Blue-Collar Over College Graduates

(HorizonPost.com) – According to a recent survey, small businesses prefer to hire blue-collar applicants over college grads, favoring skills and experience over education, Fox Business reported.

A survey of 70,000 small businesses conducted by PublicSquare for job recruiting service RedBalloon asked respondents if they believed colleges and universities were graduating students with the skills relevant to the business community.

The vast majority, 67 percent, responded “strongly no” while 24.4 percent said “somewhat no.” The other 8.7 percent either said “strongly yes,” “somewhat yes,” or “other.”

Ken Rusk, the author of “Blue Collar Cash” told “Fox & Friends Weekend” on Sunday that the results of the survey did not surprise him.

Rusk, a former construction worker, said colleges bestow degrees on individuals who are not prepared to “do some of the life skills” that businesses need.

Additionally, Rusk said graduates have been “hoodwinked” into believing that a college degree will “carry the day completely.” He suggested that job-seekers with a degree are relying too much on a diploma to get them a job so they don’t bother seeking the relevant experience they would need to get hired.

The survey also asked respondents if they would be more or less likely to consider an applicant with a 4-year degree. Only 10 percent said a degree would make them more likely to hire an applicant while 41.5 percent said the degree makes no difference. Another 40 percent said they would be less likely to hire an applicant with a college degree.

Explaining the importance of having a trade in the current labor market, Rusk said it is the principle of supply and demand. He said when the supply of skilled labor is low, demand is higher and that is where the money will go.

Rusk suggested that it would be better to skip college and instead learn a skilled trade, explaining that learning a trade costs between five and ten times less than a college degree, takes half the time, and allows a person to earn a living while learning the trade.