Dive Brief:
- A greater percentage of people in the U.S. who majored in criminal justice feel they are underemployed — holding part-time jobs or positions that don’t require them to use their education — than in any other major, according to Payscale figures reported by Forbes.
- Rounding out the top 10 of most underemployed majors are business management and administration at No. 2, followed by health care administration, general studies, sociology, English language and literature, graphic design, liberal arts, education, and psychology.
- Forbes points out that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics majors aren’t on the list, enjoying some of the highest wages and most in-demand skills.
Dive Insight:
Payscale estimates that 22 million people in the U.S. are underemployed. The self-judged underemployed percentages on the top 10 list range from 62.4% for criminal justice majors to 49.5% for the psychology majors. With a starting median pay of $32,500, 78.7% of the criminal justice majors feel underpaid. The beliefs about being underpaid don’t necessarily line up with reality—only 44.3% of the criminal justice majors are underpaid, when measured against an industry standard.
