SHRM Survey Findings: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Post-secondary Certificates/Credentials and Demographics In collaboration with and commissioned by Achieve October 3, 2012

Introduction This is the sixth part of a series of SHRM/Achieve survey findings titled “Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements.” These results look at post-secondary certificates/ credentials and overall organizational demographics. The following nine industries were included in the sample. Overall results are reported first, followed by industry-specific results for the following industries: Construction, mining, oil and gas Federal government Finance Health High-tech Manufacturing Nonprofessional services Professional services State and local government SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Post-secondary Certificates/Credentials and Demographics ©SHRM 2012

Key Findings For which positions are organizations most likely to require specific postsecondary certificates/ credentials? Across industries, the positions most likely to require specific postsecondary certificates/ credentials are salaried individual contributors/professionals (65%), skilled labor (47%) and management (46%). Health was the industry most likely to require such certificates/credentials for salaried individual contributors /professionals (78%), manufacturing for skilled labor (69%) and finance for management (53%). For which positions are organizations least likely to require specific postsecondary certificates/ credentials? Across industries, the positions least like to require specific postsecondary certificates/credentials are executives (30%), administrative/secretarial (21%) and low-skilled labor (10%). Finance was the industry most likely to require such certificates/credentials for executives(47%), state/local government for both administrative/secretarial (25%) and low-skilled labor (16%). Construction, mining, oil and gas tied with state/local government on the percentage requiring such certificates for low-skilled labor jobs (16%). Are there other common certificates/credentials that are not required but are looked upon favorably in terms of hiring and career advancement? Yes. Across industries, such certificates/credentials are most likely to apply to jobs in management (56%), salaried individual contributor/professionals (55%) and executives (32%). Finance was the industry most likely to look favorably on such certificates/credentials for management (62%) and executive jobs (45%), and high-tech for salaried individual contributors/ professionals (65%). SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Post-secondary Certificates/Credentials and Demographics ©SHRM 2012

For which positions does your organization require specific postsecondary certificates/credentials? Note: Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response options. SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Post-secondary Certificates/Credentials and Demographics ©SHRM 2012

Are there other common certificates/credentials that are not required but are looked upon favorably in terms of hiring and career advancement? Note: Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response options. Data shown are based on “yes” responses. SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Post-secondary Certificates/Credentials and Demographics ©SHRM 2012

SHRM Survey Findings: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Post-secondary Certificates/Credentials Demographics SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Post-secondary Certificates/Credentials and Demographics ©SHRM 2012

Demographics: Organization Industry SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Post-secondary Certificates/Credentials and Demographics ©SHRM 2012

Demographics: Organization Sector SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Post-secondary Certificates/Credentials and Demographics ©SHRM 2012

Demographics: Organization Staff Size Note: n = 3,335. Percentages do not total 100% due to rounding. SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Post-secondary Certificates/Credentials and Demographics ©SHRM 2012

Demographics: Other Is your organization a single-unit organization or a multi-unit organization? Does your organization have U.S.-based operations (business units) only or does it operate multinationally? Single-unit organization: An organization in which the location and the organization are one and the same 30% Multi-unit organization: An organization that has more than one location 70% U.S.-based operations only 75% Multinational operations 25% n = 3,446 n = 3,451 For multi-unit organizations, are HR policies and practices determined by the multi-unit headquarters, by each work location or both? What is the HR department/function you responded for throughout this survey? Multi-unit headquarters determines HR policies and practices 53% Each work location determines HR policies and practices 2% A combination of both the work location and the multi-unit headquarters determine HR policies and practices 44% Corporate (company wide) 69% Business unit/division 17% Facility/location 14% n = 2,465 Note: n = 2,460. Percentages do not total 100% due to rounding. SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Post-secondary Certificates/Credentials and Demographics ©SHRM 2012

SHRM Survey Findings: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Post-secondary Certificates/Credentials In collaboration with and commissioned by Achieve Survey Methodology Response rate = 18% 4,695 HR professional respondents from a randomly selected sample of nine different industries in SHRM’s membership Construction, mining, oil and gas = 491 Federal government = 356 Finance = 530 Health = 526 High-tech = 447 Margin of error +/-1% Survey fielded March 28-April 30, 2012 Manufacturing = 526 Nonprofessional services = 479 Professional services = 492 State and local government = 848 SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Post-secondary Certificates/Credentials and Demographics ©SHRM 2012

SHRM Survey Findings: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements About SHRM Research For more survey/poll findings, visit www.shrm.org/surveys For more information about SHRM’s Customized Research Services, visit www.shrm.org/customizedresearch Follow us on Twitter @SHRM_Research SHRM/Achieve Survey: Changing Employee Skills and Education Requirements—Post-secondary Certificates/Credentials and Demographics ©SHRM 2012