HR Expert reveals the benefits of removing degree requirements from job adverts as skills-based hiring is up 63% in 2022

New research by global HR and payroll experts, Remote, has revealed that skills-based hiring is up 63% in the past year as more employees are valuing experience over academic qualifications.

Alongside giving employers a competitive edge by opening up the talent pool, ditching the emphasis on academic qualifications is helping to remove career and salary barriers for over half of the UK who do not have a Bachelor’s degree[1].

To investigate how necessary a degree is for achieving the highest potential earnings in today’s job market, Remote analysed over 178,900 job adverts for 29 high-paying careers in the UK. The ‘degree wage gap’ for each career was then calculated by analysing the average salary job adverts that stated they required a degree vs those that did not.

Skills-based hiring is up 63% according to Remote’s research

Google Trends data was analysed by Remote which revealed interest in skills-based hiring has increased by 63% in the past year[2]. Companies have been found to be adapting their hiring practices due to industry skills gaps and the pandemics’ impact on the job market. At the end of 2020, almost 1 million graduate-level jobs were not filled according to the education body, Universities UK[1].

While some careers require specific degrees such as medical and law professions, for those that don’t, skills-based hiring can allow employers to be more flexible with their recruitment while reducing hiring costs and increasing inclusivity.

Last week, General Motors is the latest company to join the likes of Google, Penguin Books Limited, and the UK Police Force who have rethought their hiring practices in recent years by removing college degree requirements from some of their job roles[3].

The top 20 UK jobs that pay up to £56k a year without a degree

As skills-based learning allows non-graduates to access high-paying roles, Remote analysed job listings on Indeed to reveal the UK’s most lucrative career paths for people without a degree.

The top 20 highest paying jobs in the UK that don’t require a degree:

Rank
Job
Average Annual Salary
Without a Degree
The Number of Jobs Available
1
Equities trader
£56,285
418
2
Commodities trader
£51,863
431
3
Ethical Hacker
£48,806
91
4
HR manager
£47,831
2,532
5
Accountant
£39,350
19,977
6
Nuclear energy worker
£36,912
105
7
Mining construction
£35,892
387
8
Military security
£35,724
2,964
9
Pilates Instructors
£35,167
103
10
Air traffic controller
£34,808
37
11
Sound engineering Technician
£34,139
974
12
Sales manager
£33,892
26,678
13
Marketing
£33,226
19,352
14
Journalist
£32,128
923
15
Fashion Industry
£31,590
5,530
16
Health & Wellbeing Coach
£30,759
2,989
17
Hazardous-waste manager
£30,294
195
18
Translator
£29,638
165
19
Personal Assistant
£28,417
2,270
20
Nutrition Coach
£28,167
369

Remote’s research reveals the highest paying job for those without a degree in the UK is an equities trader. This role involves buying and selling stocks or shares on behalf of a company and requires good experience with finance and economics. On average, the salary advertised for those without a degree is £56,284 – 117% above the UK’s average salary[4].

The job paying the second highest salary for people without a degree is a commodities trader, with an average salary of £51,862. This is followed by an ethical Hacker and a HR manager, which on average are likely to earn £48,806 and £47,831 respectively.