“The aim of the teaching of algebra, and other upper-level math classes, is not to give students something they can use later on in life. It is a separator. Something like an aptitude test to see what students will be able to negotiate careers that best utilize their respective brain talents. Let’s just say that if I’m an employer, I’m going to look more fondly on prospective employees who did well in math. High math skills, to be blunt, is an indicator of high intelligence...and I’m speaking as someone who did poorly in algebra and geometry in high school.”
...and you ‘drifted’ into the real reason for these seemingly unrelated requirements. The FACT is if you hire a college graduate, you expect them to be able to do at least Algebra 1. If they cannot even do that - then they may make some REALLY BAD decisions and screw you over. And it also implies that they don’t have much of a brain...or (more likely) much perseverance. Either way, you don’t want them.
College transcripts have pretty-much taken the place of the now-outlawed pre-employment exams.
Employment tests haven’t been outlawed - you are required to take at least one and sometimes several for any type of apprenticeship program.