Auditor Rob Sand calls for lowering degree requirements for some state jobs • Iowa Capital Dispatch

In a news conference Tuesday, Sand said the change could help fill open roles, in addition to giving Iowans job opportunities without the cost and time commitments of a bachelor’s degree.

“We think that once these jobs are opened up, and more people feel welcome to apply, we’re going to get a broader cross-section of Iowans applying for this work, including a lot of people who are value-focused, (practicality)-focused, who have made those career decisions for those reasons,” Sand said. “And I think that’s a good kind of mindset to have working for the taxpayers of the state of Iowa.”

Similar policies have been implemented in other states. Maryland, under former Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, waived four-year degree requirements from many state positions in 2022 in an effort to recruit workers following shortages left after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sand said the auditor’s office revised its own hiring requirements in 2022 to accept people with associate degrees in accounting to fill needed positions.

In the past two years, 10% of the office’s hires has been people with two-year degrees, he said, but he expects to see a more people with associate’s degrees or alternative education filling these positions in the future. The auditor’s office is working with Iowa community colleges on recruitment efforts, Sand said.

Building out the “pipeline” for recruitment and wider opportunities with people outside of traditional university education systems is one way of addressing problems with workforce shortages in Iowa, he said. A February Iowa Business Council report concluded that with a 2.9% 12-month unemployment average and 68.1% labor force participation rate, population growth and retention are pressing factors that needed to address the state’s need for workers in both the private and public sectors.

“It’s hard for us to grow as a state or even to sustain our population if you don’t have more working-age people in the state,” Sand said. “… So what we’re doing today is talking about finding one a particular way to make sure that we can match our workforce with the jobs that are available.”

Beyond the auditor’s office, job listings and hiring processes are typically conducted through the Iowa Department of Administrative Services. Sand said he has sent the report to the department for further consideration.