Opportunity to Compete Act

HR 5960, the Opportunity to Compete Act, limits how employers use educational requirements in hiring. It requires employers using computerized hiring systems to disclose the median experience needed for a job (including military service or community college) and to accept equivalent work experience instead of a bachelor's degree. Employers seeking a waiver to require a bachelor's degree must prove the skill can't be gained without it and disclose this requirement to applicants, with the Labor Secretary processing waiver requests within 14 days. Small businesses with fewer than 500 employees are exempt from these rules. The law aims to expand hiring opportunities by reducing unnecessary degree barriers.