Employment Abundance Act Forces Federal Contractors to Justify College Degree Requirements, Opening Doors for Skilled Workers

The newly proposed Employment Abundance Act is taking aim at what many call 'degree inflation'—that trend where every job description seems to demand a bachelor’s degree, even if the work itself doesn’t require it. This bill mandates a major policy shift for any company holding a federal contract: they must now prove that a college degree is actually necessary for the job.

The Great Degree Audit: What Contractors Have to Do

This bill requires the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council to issue new rules within one year. Once those rules are out, federal contractors have 180 days to conduct a comprehensive review of every job classification tied to their government work. They have to identify any role currently requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher and determine if that degree is truly essential to perform the core functions of the job. Think of it as a mandatory audit where contractors must justify why a highly skilled technician, for example, couldn't do the job just as well with years of experience and specialized certifications instead of a four-year diploma.

If the contractor finds that the degree requirement is not necessary, they must report this finding and submit a plan to replace the diploma requirement with alternatives, such as relevant work experience, professional certifications, or skills-based testing. This is a huge win for the plumber, the coder, or the project manager who learned their trade on the job or through technical schools but got shut out of high-paying federal contracting jobs because they didn't have the right piece of paper.

What This Means for Your Career and Wallet

For job seekers without a traditional four-year degree, this bill could unlock a significant number of high-wage jobs in the federal contracting space. It pushes the hiring process toward skills-based assessment, not just credentialism. If you’re a military veteran with highly specialized training or a seasoned tradesperson who skipped college, this legislation could force major employers to finally look at your resume. This could also help contractors expand their talent pool at a time when finding skilled labor is increasingly difficult.

However, the bill doesn't eliminate all degree requirements. If a contractor can prove the degree is absolutely necessary for the job—or if another law or professional license demands it (like for doctors or engineers)—they can keep the requirement. The challenge lies in that subjective definition: is a degree 'actually necessary for someone to do the essential parts of the job well'? That vagueness could allow some contractors to drag their feet or find loopholes, which is something the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council will have to manage when setting up the enforcement rules.

The Cost of Compliance and the Penalty

For federal contractors, this means a significant administrative lift and cost. They have to spend time and resources conducting the review and creating new hiring plans, which is a burden, especially for smaller firms. But the stakes are high: if a contractor fails to comply with the review and reporting requirements, the bill authorizes penalties that could make them ineligible for future federal contracts. That’s a serious threat designed to ensure compliance, but it also creates a strong incentive for contractors to make superficial changes rather than undertaking a deep, genuine overhaul of their hiring practices. Ultimately, this bill is a major step toward prioritizing proven skills over paper credentials in a huge segment of the U.S. economy, potentially shifting the value proposition for many jobs away from the university classroom and toward the workplace.