U.S. colleges and universities rank #1 in the world and are famous for attracting some of the brightest American and international students. American universities have educated the general American population so well that our society now faces the new first-world problem of an overqualified workforce.

Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan projects the United States will need many more blue-collar industrial workers, which does not bode well for Americans raised to believe that they should pursue white-collar careers. Zeihan concludes the traditional U.S. liberal arts university model is not cut out to fill society’s workforce demands in the years ahead.

The following is an excerpt from Peter’s March 29 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter:

If mommy and daddy told you to go college and then you’d be set for life…you’re not alone. With traditional models pushing everyone towards white-collar jobs and university degrees, we’ve created a massive oversupply of finance bros and marketers, but left those blue-collar industries begging for some fresh meat.

As the US faces a demographic shift and shrinking population, the educational system is struggling to adapt to the changing demands. With a need for more blue-collar workers, higher education in the US is dropping the ball.

Employers are already seeing these worker shortages play out and are struggling to find a solution. As more and more graduates enter the workforce and struggle to land that ‘dream job’, those lucrative and accessible blue-collar fields might start poking holes in the higher education system in America.