REQUIRING COLLEGE DEGREES FOR LOW-SKILLED JOBS: ACCOUNTING FOR EMPLOYER MOTIVATIONS

Critical Management Studies (CMS) holds that structural features of contemporary society (e.g., the profit imperative, patriarchy, racial inequality, and ecological irresponsibility, etc.) turn organizations into instruments of domination and exploitation (Academy of Management, 2015). In an attempt to provoke reflection and debate consistent with the principles of CMS, this paper addresses the growing practice of employers inflating education requirements (i.e., utilizing credentialism) as an initial applicant hurdle for traditional low-skilled jobs. Employing a postmodern approach to understanding the phenomenon, this paper proposes three overarching narratives (i.e., public policy, human resource management, and human capital) as possible explanations of a firm's motivation to engage in such a practice. Under critical examination, arguments arise suggesting realities not adequately considered in each narrative. Finally, CMS concerns broader social and economic systems that managers and firms serve and reproduce (Adler, et al., 2007), and a contemplative discussion addresses a number of undesirable social and economic outcomes inherent within each narrative.