State of the Paper Ceiling

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These past 30 years have seen the construction of a paper ceiling - an invisible barrier limiting opportunities for STARs - workers Skilled Through Alternative Routes. The exclusion of half of all workers from good jobs has had devastating consequences for individuals, families, businesses, and our social fabric.

The State of the Paper Ceiling measures our collective progress and points the way to a better future for millions of STARs.

LaShana, STAR
Sam, STAR
Jeff, STAR
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We are in a moment of opportunity

Over the past five years, Opportunity@Work and our partners in the workforce field have changed the conversation about workers, skills, and economic mobility.

At a time when many experts were lamenting a “skills gap” in the U.S. labor market, we highlighted an "opportunity gap." Through a rigorous skills analysis, we proved that worker skills are not lacking -- in fact, millions of STARs are qualified for higher-wage work. Instead, a variety of barriers to advancement have created a "paper ceiling" that holds STARs back.

Now, as awareness of STARs as a talent category is rising, and a skills-first movement is growing, the country is in a position to rewire the labor market so STARs can work, learn, and earn to their full potential. Let’s seize this moment.

We're moving the movement

Opportunity@Work and our network of private sector, public sector, nonprofit and workforce partners are positively impacting STARs' mobility.

See the full dashboard

Employers are opening jobs to STARs

Across the U.S. labor market, those STARs able to transition to a higher-paying job increased their individual wages by more than $14k in 2023.

27
%
Employers that have changed degree requirements
$
14.7
K
Median wage gain

STARs experience better mobility within our networks

Employers partnering with Opportunity@Work created 48% more mobility for STARs in 2023

76,000+ STARs were hired or promoted in our network of partners.

40%
% of STARs experiencing mobility in the U.S. labor market
59%
% of STARs experiencing mobility in our networks

10 million STARs can move to higher-paying jobs by 2030

The STAR Mobility Compass offers a look forward at the possibilities that emerge if we work together to move towards a labor market that better accounts for worker skills.

STAR Mobility Compass
Broader pathways can open opportunities for 3.1M STARs

Broader pathways can open opportunities for 3.1M STARs

Compensation for valuable skills could raise wages 5.1M STARs

Fairly compensating valuable skills could raise wages for 5.3M STARs

New-to-world jobs can open opportunities for 1.8M STARs

New-to-world jobs can open opportunities for 1.8M STARs

The STAR Mobility Compass identifies 30 good-paying jobs for STARs - jobs that pay middle-wage and offer access to higher-wage jobs.

By increasing the STAR share of hires into these roles by small amounts over the next five years, these roles could collectively present opportunities for 3.1M STARs to move to higher-paying, mobility-creating jobs.

Low wage does not equal low skill. In fact, many low-wage jobs have skills profiles that are identical to higher paying roles.

In a well-functioning labor market, workers with in-demand skills would exit low-paying jobs for higher paying ones. However, multiple inefficiencies in the labor market are inhibiting this kind of mobility and allowing for the undercompensation of valuable skills.

The STAR Mobility Compass identifies five jobs that, if compensated commensurate with similarly skilled work, would transform these jobs into gateways rather than deadends.

Over the next five years, there are projected to be 6.4M new jobs that have not existed before. As technologies evolve and artificial intelligence changes the way many tasks are done, new roles will emerge that no workers have prior experience performing.

Based on historical data, we estimate that about 80% of these new-to-world jobs will pay high wages. The STAR Mobility Compass shows that, with intentional hiring practices, 35% of these new-to-world high paying roles can be filled by STARs, adding 1.8 million new good jobs for STARs.

STARs Share Their Stories

Paige

See how an associate degree and a state agency internship launched a career for Paige dedicated to expanding opportunity for others.

Paige

Dau'ne

From cashier supervisor to Creative Project Manager, Dau'ne turned every role into a stepping stone and proved that perseverance and real-world skills can take you further than a four-year degree.

Dau'ne

Sara

Read about how Sara's STAR status and 45+ years of experience in accounting, legal support, and state government prove that resilience and self-belief can carry you further than any degree.

Sara

Jodee

See how Jodee's hands-on experience proved more powerful than any degree.

Jodee

Mario

Find out how Mario built a career as a legal tech Account Solutions Manager on skills and results alone — no degree required.

Mario

Brandon

Discover how local support and sheer determination helped Brandon build a thriving career in Tulsa without a four-year degree.

Brandon

Georgette

After building a career across accounting, healthcare, and banking — all without a bachelor's degree — Georgette now channels every hard-won lesson into empowering STARs to own their value and lead with courage.

Georgette

Charmagne

Discover how Charmagne's adaptability and drive took her further than a degree ever could.

Charmagne

Kelly

Kelly cultivated a career in marketing by following her curiosity — now she designs campaigns that champion the skills and stories of STARs across the country.

Kelly

Cale

See how Navy veteran Cale's hands-on expertise is now helping change what it means to be qualified for a job.

Cale

Jon

Read about how Jon's STAR status took him from working two jobs at 16 to becoming an analyst at Trane Technologies... without a bachelor's degree.

Jon

Alisha

See how Alisha's relentless curiosity carried her from engineering to HR to compensation analyst at Trane Technologies.

Alisha

Shanel

See how Shanel manifested her role as a General Bakery Manager through her passion for baking.

Shanel

Mark

See how Mark built an entire journalism career on the job, all without a bachelor's degree.

Mark

Sheronda

Find out how Sheronda built 80+ county applications on the job and opened doors for small and minority-owned businesses without ever earning a bachelor's degree.

Sheronda

Darryl

See how Darryl turned early setbacks and a lifelong passion for electrical work into a leadership career — no bachelor's degree required.

Darryl

Jay

Discover how perseverance carried Jay into both workforce development and mental health without completing a bachelor's degree.

Jay

Lawrence

Find out how Lawrence's work ethic earned him a thriving career without a four-year degree.

Lawrence

Sheree

Find out how Sheree earned five promotions and built expertise across tech, counseling, and Salesforce despite degree discrimination and layoffs.

Sheree

Ansaer

Read how Ansaer's grit and perseverance built him a tech career without a bachelor's degree.

Ansaer

Jonte

With an associate's degree and a stack of trade licenses, Jonte stepped into a Recruitment Training Manager role at a billion-dollar company and never looked back — proof that the skilled trades can lead anywhere.

Jonte

Jonathan

Read about how Jonathan's STAR status took him from foster care to Security Manager, building leadership skills rooted in empathy and adaptability... without a bachelor's degree.

Jonathan

Tayshawn

Find out how a lifelong curiosity inspired Tayshawn's fitness career.

Tayshawn

Casey

Read about how Casey's STAR status took him from door-to-door sales to retail leadership and jewelry making, as he builds toward a business that serves people of all backgrounds... without a bachelor's degree.

Casey

Taylor

Read about Taylor's STAR status and how her self starter approach is guiding her career path from the ground up.

Taylor

Ali

Find out how Ali turned a teenage hustle into a thriving company and became a champion for skills-based hiring without a college degree.

Ali

Danielle

Find out how Dani built a hospitality career just having having grit and a genuine love of caring for others — no bachelor's degree required.

Danielle

Meghan

See how Meghan combined creativity, technical skill, and exceptional people skills to build a hairstyling career — and a loyal clientele.

Meghan

Micah

Find out how Army veteran Micah built his own business from the ground up and how problem-solving became the foundation of everything he's built.

Micah

Sean

See how Sean's STAR status led to his thriving career as a 3D chalk artist and ice and snow sculptor on his own terms.

Sean

Lakisha

See how Lakisha built a successful administrative career through sheer work ethic and the hard-won confidence to know her own worth.

Lakisha

Mark

Find out how a childhood love of food inspired Mark's culinary management career, built entirely through empathy, practice, and hard work.

Mark

Dalton

See how Dalton is building two careers at once through hands-on learning and how he's channeling his emergency response skills into a growing media platform.

Dalton

Erika

Read about how Erika's STAR status and hands-on experience earned her a quality Technician role and how she continues to defy expectations every day.

Erika

Sam

See how Sam applied decades of relentless curiosity and hands-on learning into a career that defies any single job title.

Sam

Jamie

Find out how a work-study program became the launchpad for Jamie's career.

Jamie

Thaddaeus

Read about how Thaddaeus's STAR status landed him a position as a university IT Specialist, where his self-taught tech skills and passion for helping others are his greatest credentials.

Thaddaeus

Kent

See how Army veteran Kent built an entire tech career through mentorship, persistence, and problem solving.

Kent

Laura

Read how Laura's willingness to keep learning is the credential that keeps opening doors.

Laura

Katy

Find out how Katy made one of the most unexpected career leaps around, and now helps others do the same.

Katy

Lynnette

See how Lynnette turned a hobby into a business while embracing entrepreneurship in retirement.

Lynnette

Barbara

Find out how Barbara's STAR status guided her career within the nonprofit sector and how lived experience can be the most powerful credential of all.

Barbara

Carmen

Find out how Carmen is building toward owning her own home health agency, one skill at a time, without a four-year degree.

Carmen

Quinn

See how military veteran Quinn is challenging employers to value experience over credentials.

Quinn

Daquan

Read how Daquan's self-taught skills as a home health aide and carpenter built a career that no one can ever take away from him.

Daquan

Tadarius

Find out how Tadarius turned a moment of crisis into a calling, guided by lived experience and hard-earned certifications.

Tadarius

Mary

Read about Mary's philosophy on people-first leadership and how integrity and empathy can define a career, even without a degree.

Mary

Elizabeth

See how Elizabeth found her calling as an employment counselor, helping formerly incarcerated job seekers reclaim their futures.

Elizabeth

Debrena

Find out how self-advocacy and a self-taught mindset launched Debrena's QA engineering career.

Debrena

Courtney

Find out how Courtney made the career leap from construction to IT client services.

Courtney

Ricky

See how learning to fail became Ricky's secret to building a career in acting and coaching.

Ricky

Robert

See how Robert's work ethic carried him from a skate shop to corporate merchandising and shaped him into an empathetic leader.

Robert

Carol

See how Carol built an art business entirely on her own terms by utilizing her strong work ethic and on-the-job experience.

Carol

Reyna

Read about how Reyna's STAR status is leading her path toward computer science and a dream of building a platform for low-income youth, powered entirely by grit and on-the-job learning.

Reyna

Sharon

After observing how firms overlooked colleagues without degrees, see how Sharon transitioned into her role as Billing Coordinator by investing in herself at every turn.

Sharon

Erin

Read about how Erin's STAR status landed her a position as an Internal Audit Manager... without a bachelor's degree.

Erin

Partners making an impact

Organizations in Opportunity@Work's networks have proven that hiring STARs benefits everyone, paving the way for true systems change through scalable solutions.

See all case studies
Read more

A dedicated sales academy opens doors for STARs while meeting key business needs.

Microsoft

Read more

A statewide policy shift removed degree requirements and expanded opportunity for workers across Maryland.

State of Maryland

Read more

How data and employer collaboration are shaping inclusive talent strategies in a transitioning economy.

Detroit Regional Partnership

Join the movement

Systems change cannot happen without large scale investment from our country's philanthropic leaders.

Invest in our mission

Read the full report

Interested in learning more? The 2025 State of the Paper Ceiling report provides complete detail on the STAR Mobility Compass, our "ABC" theory of change, and the skills-first progress tracker.

Download

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