Close examination suggests that the single biggest difference between those at or above the top tenth percentile of the income distribution and those below the 50th percentile is that the former have a degree or two while the latter, typically, do not. Technological change and global competition have made it impossible for American workers to get good jobs without strong skills.
详细的考察表明，位于收入阶梯前10%与后50%者之间的最大区别是前者拥有一两个学位，而后者通常没有学位。技术变迁和全球竞争使得没有良好技能的美国工人根本无法找到好工作。哈佛大学教授戈登（Claudia Golden）和卡茨（Larry Katz）指出，在技术与教育的竞争中，教育已经落后了。