Qualification (dis)adjustments in Portugal: evolution, incidences and the importance of the starting point
The main objective of this study is to analyze the (dis)adjustments in the qualifications of employment, their different categorical and sectoral incidences, the professional and sectoral distribution of overqualified workers with higher education, and the variation in the incidence of overqualification over the course of employment.
In the space of around two and a half decades, under-qualification has fallen sharply in Portugal and the adjustment in qualifications has increased very significantly, representing an intense increase in the level of education of the employed population, indicating that the Portuguese economy has, in part, managed to get back on its feet and create jobs suited to the more qualified profile of the available workforce. Nonetheless, there are two issues that should be highlighted: on the one hand, under-qualification is still quite high, essentially due to a stock effect that will tend to diminish through the replacement of generations in employment; on the other hand, the increase in over-qualification indicates that a significant proportion of qualified human resources are being left untapped - or, at the very least, performing functions and tasks with a level of complexity that does not require either secondary or higher education, with potential effects on the exclusion of the less qualified from the job market.
The study also concluded that the phenomenon of overqualification mainly affects women, is more significant in younger age groups and is higher in some sectors of activity that have been protagonists in net job creation in Portugal in recent years.
Authors: Frederico Cantante, Pedro Estêvão
