Job-qualification mismatch in Germany: In East Germany, especially older employees are formally overqualified for their jobs

Abstract

"Since 2011, the employment statistics of the Federal Employment Agency allow for the comparison of formal qualification of employees and the level of qualification requirement of the jobs carried out. According to that measurement around 63 percent of all workers were adequately employed, while 22 percent were formally underqualified and 15 percent were overqualified. In the latter case, the degree of formal qualification is higher than the job usually requires. This group lies at the heart of the present report. Formal overqualification can occur when demand for certain qualifications is too low. However, it can as well be a consequence of superior remuneration or better labor conditions. As a consequence - and because job-seekers are not unboundedly mobile - regional employment and income opportunities play a severe role for the emergence of such a job-qualification mismatch." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Reichelt, M. & Vicari, B. (2014): Ausbildungsinadäquate Beschäftigung in Deutschland: Im Osten sind vor allem Ältere für ihre Tätigkeit formal überqualifiziert. (IAB-Kurzbericht 25/2014), Nürnberg, 8 p.