This report of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre looks at the likelihood of overeducation—having an education level higher than what is needed for one’s job—among migrants in 24 EU Member States. The report examines the differences in overeducation rates between natives, EU-born migrants and non-EU-born migrants.

The data show that both EU-born and non-EU-born migrants are more likely to be overeducated than natives, and that the gap is larger among tertiary graduates than secondary graduates. Moreover, the gap is persistent and actually increases over time; the likelihood that migrants are overeducated increases with the length of stay in the host country. This is especially the case for non-EU-born migrants.

The results clearly depict an obstacle for the full labour market integration of migrants in the EU. However, the analysis does not examine which factors may be responsible for the gap in overeducation.