The main objective of this study is to analyze the (mis)adjustments in employment qualifications, their different categorical and sectoral incidences, the professional and sectoral distribution of overqualified higher education workers, and the variation in the incidence of overqualification along career paths.
Over a period of approximately two and a half decades, underqualification has decreased sharply in Portugal, while qualification adjustment has increased very significantly, representing a sharp rise in the educational level of the employed population. This indicates that the Portuguese economy has, in part, managed to recover and create jobs suited to the more qualified profile of the available workforce. Nevertheless, two issues are important to highlight: firstly, underqualification remains quite high, mainly due to a stock that will tend to decrease through generational replacement in employment; secondly, the increase in overqualification indicates that a significant portion of qualified human resources are being underutilized – or at least performing functions and tasks with a level of complexity that do not require either secondary or higher education, with potential effects on the exclusion of the less qualified from the labor market.
The study also concluded that the phenomenon of overqualification primarily affects women, is more pronounced in younger age groups, and is higher in certain sectors that have been key drivers of net job creation in Portugal in recent years.
Authors: Frederico Cantante, Pedro Estêvão
