The job market enters the end of summer with positive employment figures (the latest data from Spain’s Labour Force Survey place the number of employed at a record 22.7 million and the unemployment rate below 10%). Looking ahead to September, the search for new opportunities by many professionals again shifts the focus to how talent is distributed and leveraged, with the challenge of achieving a better match between their training and the roles they perform, which also meet the needs of employers.
Overqualification represents one of the less visible facets of this mismatch, and according to Eurostat, Spain is among the European Union countries with the highest rate of overqualification: 34% in 2025, compared with the European average of 21.4%. This rate refers to people with a higher education level—such as vocational training or university studies at the bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral level—whose jobs do not require such a high level of education.
In this context, the InfoJobs survey on Overqualification and mismatch notes that 31% of workers consider that their level of education, experience, or skills exceeds what is required for their current position, a share that rises to 35% among those with university or higher education. Although the level of overqualification is higher among those with greater educational attainment, the data show that this is a phenomenon that transcends this group and affects the entire employed population.
Moreover, 65% of respondents believe that their level of training aligns with the requirements of their role, while 4% indicate that it is below what is necessary. These figures highlight that the challenge is not only about creating jobs, but also about achieving a better fit between professionals’ preparation and the needs of job roles, enabling more effective use of the talent available.
33% of unemployed with higher education seek roles below their training level
This misalignment is not limited to those who already have a job. It also shapes how professionals approach the search for new opportunities. Among the unemployed, 21% seek roles whose required level of training is lower than theirs, while 66% opt for positions aligned with their education level and 13% aim for roles that require higher training.
However, the situation is particularly meaningful among those with university or higher education: 1 in 3 unemployed (33%) are seeking roles that require a lower level of training or experience than they possess; this indicates that part of the talent broadens their search to positions that require a lower level of training, thereby widening the range of opportunities they can pursue.
Stability and work-life balance weigh on the employed
The data show that overqualification does not stem from a single cause; it is explained in different ways depending on workers’ employment status. Among the employed who are overqualified, the main reason for taking a job below one’s own training level is a personal decision: 40% say they have prioritized other issues, such as job stability, work-life balance, or employment conditions, over the possibility of taking a role more aligned with their training. Following this, 21% attribute it to economic necessity, while 20% say there are no vacancies available for their qualification in their sector. This same 20% figure also appears among those who highlight the difficulty of finding opportunities in their geographic area.
The situation changes among the overqualified unemployed. In this case, geographic constraints prevail as the main obstacle: 41% say they cannot find job opportunities because of this, while 32% report they cannot access a role that fits their profile. Additionally, 30% seek jobs out of economic necessity, even if they require a lower level of training than they possess.
Only 1 in 4 workers received guidance before choosing their training
Another relevant aspect analyzed in the InfoJobs survey is career guidance. In light of the data, it still plays a limited role when choosing studies and shaping one’s career path, since only 1 in 4 workers in active employment (25%) received career guidance before deciding on their training, while the remaining 75% did not have access to this type of support. Among those who did receive guidance, 60% consider it fairly or very useful. However, perceived usefulness shows room for improvement: 40% consider it only somewhat or not at all useful (split into 32% who say somewhat and 8% who say not at all).
Despite its limited reach, career guidance is clearly relevant for those who have managed to access it. 77% of workers feel that, from their current perspective, they would have sought guidance before deciding on their studies: 36% say it would have been essential and 41% say it would have helped them make a decision. This underscores that there is a demand for support that is not being adequately met and that could help improve the fit between chosen training and subsequent professional opportunities.
In the words of Mónica Pérez, Director of Communications and Studies at InfoJobs: “In light of the data, the lack of career guidance remains a challenge in our country. It is a key process for career success, linking education to the needs of employers, and increasingly necessary for making decisions — both early in life and among those pursuing higher education —, to support job searches or career changes and improve employability.”
One in three unemployed has already reoriented professionally or is in the process
The lack of access to a job aligned with one’s profile is driving more and more people to consider a change in direction. Among the employed, 26% are in the process of reorienting professionally or have already done so. This rises to 34% among the unemployed, confirming that reorientation is considered more intensely when people cannot secure a job.
By contrast, the phenomenon takes on special relevance among those who are overqualified. 18% of employed workers who are overqualified say they are currently training to change careers, while among the unemployed who are overqualified the figure rises to 27%.
Age also makes a difference. Among the employed, 33% of 16- to 24-year-olds and 19% of those aged 25 to 34 are in the process of training to reorient their career path. At the other end of the spectrum, 68% of those over 55 do not consider a career reorientation.
Andalusia records the highest rate of overqualification among the employed; Madrid the highest share of job seekers pursuing roles below their education level. By autonomous communities, Andalusia is, among the regions analyzed, where a higher percentage of active workers believe their education exceeds what their job requires: 34%, 3 percentage points above the national average (31%). Valencia and Madrid follow, each at 30%.
Among the unemployed, Madrid has the highest share of job seekers who say they are pursuing roles requiring a lower level of education than they possess, at 23% (versus 21% national average). Catalonia follows with 22.5% and the Valencian Community with 22%.
