Only a small proportion of people around the world are working in a job that they feel they are properly qualified for, a new report has discovered, with many saying that they have skills above and beyond what they need, while others feel they do not have the qualifications to complete the task at hand. This is also causing a discrepancy in the level of satisfaction that people garner from their work.

The workplace study by Randstad discovered that the number of people across the world in employment who feel that they are overqualified to do their job amounts to nearly half of the population, with 47 per cent agreeing with this statement.   On the other hand, some 20 per cent of people admitted they are in a job that they simply do not have the skills and qualifications to carry out, and believe that they are punching above their weight when it comes to completing their job.

Globally then, this means that only a third of people (33 per cent) believe that they have found themselves in a position in which they feel their skills are both adequate and being put to good use.  The proportion of people who feel they have too much in the way of useful skills for their position is even higher in countries where there are economic issues. In Greece, for example, 69 per cent of workers said that they are overqualified for their job. In Turkey, this figure was even higher, sitting at 78 per cent.  This could be attributed to the fact that job-seekers in these countries are finding far less highly-skilled jobs available, meaning that they turn instead toward positions which they are overqualified for in a desperate bid to work.

It was said though, that in northern European countries, there appears to be a better balance of people who feel their job matches their skills. In Denmark for example, only 28 per cent of employees agreed with the fact that they were overqualified with their job.  And it appears, according to the report, that there is some correlation between people being properly skilled to carry out their job, and the satisfaction that they get when they are in work.  For example, in Sweden and other Nordic countries like Denmark, there is a high level of job satisfaction to go hand in hand with the fact people are well matched for their position. In the nation, job satisfaction rose from 65 to 75 per cent of people.  Meanwhile, in economically challenged countries such as Greece and Spain, when people are forced to take jobs that are below their skill level are among the least satisfied in the world Randstad said, alongside Hungary.

Key Findings:

Mismatch: Level of Education
  • 1 in 5 people say they are under-qualified for their job. Even more so in Italy (47%), Japan (42%) and Chile (41%). In Hungary (4%), Czech Republic (7%) and Greece (9%), the no. of employees who say they are under-qualified for their job is lowest.
  • Globally almost half of the employees (47%) feel currently overqualified for their job. Especially in China (84%), Turkey (78%) and Greece (69%). These numbers are lowest in Belgium (28%), Luxemburg (23%) and Denmark (25%).
  • More than 4 out of 10 employees work with overqualified as well as under-qualified colleagues Especially in Brazil (61%), Hong Kong (71%) and China (65%) employees see many colleagues working below their educational level. In Argentina only 18% feel they are under qualified themselves but 65% see many under-qualified colleagues around them. In Japan, Chile and China, many people seem to have jobs which are not compatible with their level of education.
  • Overall 66% states their job is a good match in terms of their field of study.

Smaller Mismatch: Field of Study
  • In Hong Kong (78%) and India (82%) many employees indicate that their job is a good match with their educational background. Also in Denmark (80%) and Norway (68%) most employees have a suitable job. Sweden however is at the low end of countries with a good match in terms of studies (60%).
  • In Japan (37%) and Slovakia (48%), few employees are in a job that matches with their field of study. In accordance with this finding, employees in these countries also see many colleagues whose jobs do not match their education. Especially in Japan, there seems to be a gap between education and employment.
Finding the Right Talent
  • Globally, almost 60% of the employers have difficulties in finding the right person for the job. Especially in Brazil (71%), employers have difficulties finding the right talent.
  • Finding highly-qualified people is an issue for almost half of the employers. This is less the case in Greece, Italy, Spain and Denmark where approx. a third of the employers experience this.
  • Finding low-skilled workers is less difficult globally (27%) but it is an issue in China (47%), Malaysia (39%) and Japan (35%).

Expected Staffing Shortages
  • 47% expects a shortage of highly qualified staff within the next 3 years. Especially employees in Brazil (58%), China (65%), Hong Kong (67%), India (65%) and Malaysia (64%) expect a shortage of highly qualified staff within the next 3 years. Czech Republic (34%), The Netherlands and Denmark (33%) have the lowest proportion of employees expecting a shortage of highly qualified staff.
  • 34% expects a shortage of lower-skilled workers in the coming years. Employees in Czech Republic (17%) and Denmark (18%) are at the low end. Compared with the global average, more employees in China (50%), Malaysia (57%), Hong Kong (59%) and India (57%) expect a shortage of lower skilled workers.

This shows that people in general are looking for jobs that are not only within their capabilities, but also give them a level of challenge that suits their own personal skills, leaving them happy and satisfied when they head into their place of work.


Where do you think you stand?  Tell us what you think.



The Filmore CV is grateful to resumebear.com for contributing this article.


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