In Cyprus, nearly half of graduates consider themselves too smart for their jobs

According to a study conducted by the Department of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Cyprus, about 46% of Cypriot graduates consider themselves overeducated for their jobs.

The study is part of a broader program titled "Addressing Skills Mismatch between Education and Labor Market," which received funding under the EU Recovery and Resilience Plan.

The overall goal of the study is to gather national data on the paths of graduates after completing higher education, as well as data on current and future labor market needs in terms of knowledge and skills.

The study notes that "skills mismatch among graduates in Cyprus has been identified as a major cause of concern in many policy reports." Furthermore, skills mismatch and overeducation are serious issues across Europe.

Quoting the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), it is stated that the main task of Europe and Cyprus is "not only to increase the level of qualification but also to match people with the appropriate skills for suitable jobs."

"There are various types of skills mismatches, such as overeducation, undereducation, horizontal mismatch, overqualification, and skills obsolescence, which are the main causes of rising unemployment and increasing difficulties for people transitioning from education to the labor market to find jobs matching their potential," the report explains.

The report states that although skills mismatch on the island has been identified as a serious problem at the national level that needs urgent attention, national data on the type and scale of this issue are insufficient.

The study adds that undereducation does not appear to be a problem, as only a small percentage of graduates reported having lower education levels than required for their jobs: 9% in 2016/17 and 8% in 2020/21. The highest percentage of graduates reporting undereducation is observed in the field of natural sciences.