FLATTENING THE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION CURVE THROUGH SKILL-BASED HIRING BY SALLYANN DELLA CASA
T
he term “Skills” seems to be on everyone’s lips lately, especially with the soaring unemployment rates brought out by COVID-19. Currently over 40 million Americans are unemployed, the highest numbers since The Great Depression. According to the World Economic Forum, the skills required for jobs over the next two years will change by 42%, with over one billion jobs requiring different skills than the ones that exist now, over the next decade. Now consider this statistic, a degree which is a stated requirement for about 60% of all jobs rule out 70% of American adults who do not possess one. Only 9% of Black Americans in a critical age range between 23-29 and 9% of Hispanic Americans overall have degrees. 34 | AFTER THE PANDEMIC