52%: Percent of the unemployed who have spent at least some time in college.

In a significant shift in the labor market, the majority of people who are unemployed have some college education, reversing the situation that prevailed for decades. In 1992, only 37% of the unemployed had some college experience.

The change is unfolding amid a torpid jobs market, where more time in school translates into lower unemployment and higher wages.

In May 4.8 million of the 9.2 million people older than 25 looking for work had spent at least some time in college, while 48% of the unemployed had only completed high school.

The shift is due primarily to changing demographics in the U.S. A larger share of the population is attending college than ever before. In October of last year, 68.3% of 2011 high school graduates were enrolled in colleges or universities, according to the Labor Department.

As more people seek higher education, a greater share of the labor force has college experience. So, while 52% of the unemployed have attended college, a much larger 65% of those with jobs have attended—that is up from 53% in 1992.

Since it is more likely that a younger worker will have some college experience, older workers retiring or dropping out of the labor force exacerbate the trend. The share of the workforce with a degree has been rising for decades, while the % with a high-school diploma or less has been falling. For the first time in 2003, the average person in the labor force was more likely to have a bachelor’s degree or higher than to be just a high-school graduate.

As the educational attainment of the general population shifts, recent labor-force entrants who don’t go on to college face an even tougher environment. In 2011, every step up the school ladder translated into a lower unemployment rate and higher pay. People with a professional degree were at the top of the heap with an unemployment rate of 2.4% and a median wage of $1,665 a week. On the bottom were those without a high school diploma, posting a 14.1% unemployment rate and $451 in median weekly earnings.