Occupational mismatch in Europe : understanding overeducation and overskilling for policy making

This technical report presents EU-17 evidence on the extent of different measures of overeducation and overskilling among working age population in an attempt to provide a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between education and skill mismatch within the broader definition of occupation mismatch. It further investigates how countries differ or share common patterns in terms of amount and typology of mismatch, while investigating the socio-economic determinants responsible for different types of occupational mismatch considered. Lastly, at a very exploratory level, it provides average predicted probabilities for the different types of occupational mismatch identified using CEDEFOP skill forecast by educational level and occupation for 2020. Comparing these predicted values provides a method of measuring the overall impact on occupational mismatch of differences in age, gender or education level while controlling for other observed characteristics. Special attention is systematically paid to the role of educational systems and policies in the matter.