Abstract:

Overeducation refers a situation whereby educational requirements of workers professional activity are lower than academic education received. Based on this conception, the communication shows the main factors related to overeducation in Catalonia (Spain). We focus on recent graduates using the survey conducted by Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU) in 2014. The sample includes 10263 people. We find that the 17.6% of graduates are overeducated. Most of the literature in this field has estimated the effect of overeducation on earnings and satisfaction. In that sense, we confirm that the overeducated earn less than their peers graduate jobs (indicating that the return on surplus education is less than the return on expected) and furthermore, they are less satisfied with their job. Significative differences between fields of study are also observed: ‘Humanities and Fine Arts’ have the higher rate of overeducation while ‘Health Sciences’ and ‘Technology’ graduates have the lowest rate. Lastly, we want to mention that we could not determinate whether there is a gender bias in this type of mismatch laboral. Nevertheless, we have to let us bear in mind that some of the academic areas with the lowest rates of overeducation are male-dominated areas.

Keywords:

Overeducation, fields of study, recent graduates, Catalonia.