Almost one in seven young workers is over‑qualified for the job they hold. In 2024, 15 % of people aged 15‑34 reported having an educational level that exceeds the requirements of their current position, according to data from the Labour Force Survey provided by Destatis. The vast majority, 78 %, had a qualifying education that matched their work role, whereas 7 % were formally under‑qualified.
Gender differences appear within this age group. Women under 35 years reported being over‑qualified slightly more often (16 %) than men of the same age (13 %). Conversely, men were more likely to be under‑qualified (9 %) than women (5 %).
The pattern is even sharper when looking at migration background. Young workers with a migration background were more frequently over‑qualified (18 %) than their peers without such a background (14 %). The proportion of formally over‑qualified individuals rose further to 19 % among those who had migrated themselves. In the same age bracket, 11 % of those with a migration background were under‑qualified, a higher share than the 6 % among those without a migration background. The highest share of under‑qualified workers (14 %) again belonged to the group that had migrated themselves.
Regarding the relevance of their field of study to their present job, 22 % of workers aged 15‑34 said that the subject they studied matched their current role only partially, somewhat, or not at all. This figure was the same for men and women. The share was noticeably higher among young workers with a migration background (28 %), reaching 30 % among those who had migrated themselves. Only 20 % of those without a migration background reported a mismatch between their field of study and their job.
