EU workforce: overeducated yet underskilled?

The European Skills and Jobs (ESJ) survey, undertaken by the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), is the first survey on skill mismatch carried out in the EU28 Member States, examines drivers of skill development and the dynamic evolution of skill mismatch in relation to the changing complexity of the tasks and skills required in people's jobs. ESJ data show that one in five young Europeans are employed in jobs that require a lower level of qualifications than the one possessed (the so-called overeducated).

In this survey insight paper, the author notes, however, that just as important is the phenomenon of underskilling or skill gaps. These arise when employees' skills are lower than those required to perform their job. In particular, ESJ reveals that one in five Europeans are underskilled at the time of hiring and that mitigating such skill gaps requires continuing formal and informal learning in the workplace.

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