The latest move toward rational hiring is in Georgia, where the state Senate voted last week to pursue the removal of unnecessary requirements from certain government jobs. The bill directs the Department of Administrative Services to review the minimum level of education, training and experience needed for every state job, and to reduce requirements when reasonable.
“We used to mandate a college degree for almost everything,” said state Sen. John Albers, the lead sponsor. “Now we’re looking at that differently.” The state House and Gov. Brian Kemp are also likely to back the bill, which passed the Senate 49 to 1, including yes votes from 17 Democrats.
The bipartisan support is no fluke. If Mr. Kemp signs on, he’ll join two Republican Governors and two Democrats who have cut degree requirements in their states since last year. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order last month to focus state job postings on experience and skills rather than education. It was one of the first policy moves by the newly inaugurated Democrat.
“Whether you went to college or gained experience through work, on-the-job training or an apprenticeship, we value what you bring to the table,” he said.
Democrats tend to describe cutting job restrictions as a way to spread opportunity. That goes for Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, who reformed government hiring practices last April.
Republicans put more emphasis on efficiency. Take former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who started the trend when he reformed state hiring last March. As a former real-estate executive, he aimed to “find new ways to build a steady pipeline of talented, well-trained, skilled workers,” and he gutted restrictions to widen the applicant pool. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox made the same point when he nixed degree requirements for many state jobs in IT and health services.