While completing high school is certainly advantageous compared to dropping out before receiving your degree, it doesn't always guarantee a job. Teens who drop out of high school before graduating typically earn lower wages and have higher levels of unemployment than those who have a degree, according to the National High School Center. That said, high school graduates, while having a higher rate of employment than dropouts do, still don't fare as well on the job market as those who have an advanced education. For example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that the 2012 national unemployment rate for young adults over 25 with less than a high school education was 12.4 percent, while it was 8.3 percent for those who finished high school. In terms of recent trends in unemployment, the rate for high school grads decreased from 9.4 to 8.3 percent between 2011 and 2012, and it decreased again in 2013, with a monthly June number of 7.6 percent.
Although the unemployment rate for young adults with only some college education doesn't drastically differ from that of high school grads, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics -- 7.7 percent for individuals with some schooling and 8.3 for those who have none -- there is a more noticeable change when it comes to college graduates. Americans ages 25 and over who have a bachelor's degree had an unemployment rate of 4.0 percent in 2012. Fast-forward a few months, and the monthly unemployment rate for college grads in June 2013 was even lower at 3.9 percent.
The 2012 numbers from the BLS support the notion that a college education -- when it is complete -- will help to increase the likelihood of finding a job. Comparing the 8.3 percent unemployment rate for high school grads to the 4.0 percent for college degree-holders illustrates the marked difference between each level of education. Additionally, the 2013 numbers, while lower in both cases, also show a clear difference between unemployment for high school and college graduates. So although having a college degree doesn't always equate to getting a job, you are more likely to find and keep one with a post-secondary education than without.
When looking at the facts and figures from the subsequent and following years, the BLS notes that unemployment rates both for those with a high school diploma and a bachelor's degree are shrinking, with a 5.1 percent difference in 2011, a 4.3 percent gap in 2012 and a 3.7 percent difference in the summer of 2013. This demonstrates that while the college graduate unemployment rate is lower than that of high school degree-holders, both groups of Americans are seeing a decline in joblessness. Additionally, economic factors such as job creation and manufacturing needs -- among a slew of others -- all come into play when looking at the unemployment rates for both college and non-college degree holders.