(The Center Square) – As North Carolina’s economy grows, the number of jobs are increasing faster than the people needed to fill them, according to a new study by the state’s public university system.
By 2034, the number of jobs is projected to increase by 260,000, the study said.
“Job openings are projected to exceed people with the skills to fill them,” the University of North Carolina System said.
The state will need between 5,000 and 10,000 additional college graduates over the next few years to fill the gap, “All to meet growing employer demand,” according to the study.
The report documents “serious growth” in the demand for engineers, health professionals, and teachers, UNC President Peter Hans told the university system board of governors Thursday.
“With the state growing and our current workforce facing a wave of retirements, there is going to be a strong need for the vital professions our public universities were designed to fill,” Hans said.
Migration to North Carolina has been partially filling the jobs, with the state projected to rank seventh in population nationally by 2030.
The report identifies other sources of increasing the number of college graduates, including programs that help “adult learners” who have some college credit but no degree, complete their college education. North Carolina also has a quarter million “military learners” who have not completed their degrees.
“The UNC System set a Strategic Plan goal of increasing military learner enrollments to 25,000 by 2027, recognizing this as a critical talent source for the state,” the study said.
One unknown factor is artificial intelligence and the effect it may have on the need for humans in the workforce.
Some are predicting widespread, but others think it could be less severe.
“While the Industrial Revolution and the Internet Revolution caused significant disruptions in the labor market, both also generated economic growth, spawned entirely new industries (such as e-commerce)and jobs (e.g., software developers and web designers),” the UNC report said.
Hans called the current revolution in technology “epic” but stressed the importance of higher education’s “fundamental mission” of preparing the minds and character of students for their roles as future workers but to be “adaptable lifelong learners.”
