About one in seven young workers in Germany is over‑qualified for their current job.
According to the 2024 Labour Force Survey (LFS) released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), 15 % of employed people aged 15 to 34 reported holding a higher educational qualification than what their job requires. Among all young employees, 78 % had a qualification that matched their occupation, while 7 % were formally under‑qualified.
Gender differences emerged as well: 16 % of women under 35 said they were over‑qualified, compared with 13 % of men. Conversely, 9 % of men were under‑qualified versus 5 % of women.
For workers with an immigration background, matches between education and occupation were less common. 18 % of 15‑ to 34‑year‑olds with such a background were over‑qualified, compared with 14 % of their peers without an immigration history. The share of over‑qualified workers was highest – 19 % – among those who had immigrated to Germany themselves.
Under‑qualification was also more frequent among those with a migration history: 11 % of this group had a lower educational level than required, versus 6 % among non‑immigrants. The rate of formal under‑qualification peaked at 14 % among self‑immigrants.
When it comes to the relevance of a person’s field of study to their job, 22 % of young workers reported a partial, or even complete, mismatch. This proportion was identical for women and men. Among young workers with an immigration background, the share was higher – 28 % overall, reaching 30 % for those who had immigrated themselves. Only 20 % of peers without an immigration background indicated that their field of study only partially or not at all fit their current job.