GS4S’ second working paper explores the over-education of tertiary-educated migrants in European labour markets. Using data from the European Labour Force Survey (2012–2022) shows that immigrants, particularly those from non-EU countries, are significantly more likely to be over-educated than natives. Despite a general decline in over-education levels for all groups over time, the immigrant/native gap remains, especially for foreign-educated migrants. The findings underscore the need for policies that better align immigrants’ skills with labour market demands in Europe to avoid the waste of valuable immigrants’ skills, which are harmful not only to migrants but also to the economies of receiving countries.
Read the full paper here.