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The Economy Goes to College: The Hidden Promise of Higher Education in the Post-Industrial Service Economy

The Economy Goes To College

The Hidden Promise of Higher Education in the Post-Industrial Service

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The Economy Goes to College: The Hidden Promise of Higher Education in the Post-Industrial Service Economy analyzes long-term changes in how goods and services are produced. The report finds that college-educated workers now produce more than half of the nation’s annual economic value.

key Findings

1

Agricultural output over the past 200 years has increased by at least 20 times per worker.
2

College-intensive business services have replaced manufacturing as the U.S. economy’s largest industry cluster.
3

Increasing wealth from productivity growth has empowered consumers to demand more sophisticated goods and services.
4

The economy has moved from mass productions of standardized good to mass customization of goods and services.

Resources

Our report analyzes long-term changes in how goods and services are produced. These shifts have created millions of high-skill professional jobs and increased the economic value of obtaining a college degree.

The report finds that college-educated workers now produce more than half of the nation’s annual economic value. The findings undermine the fear that good manufacturing jobs of the past are being replaced with low-paid, dead-end service jobs.

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Full Report
Executive Summary
PowerPoint
Press Release