Overqualification as a structural factor in youth unemployment in Spain

Identifier:  TFG:10302

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TFG10302

Authors:  Martínez García, Carla

Abstract:
This paper analyzes the phenomenon of youth overqualification in Spain and its relationship with high youth unemployment. Through a combination of theoretical and empirical analysis, it examines how the mismatch between educational attainment and actual labor market demand constitutes a structural failure that generates inefficiencies and a loss of productivity relative to the optimal level of human capital. Data from the INE, Eurostat, the OECD, and FUNCAS are used to measure the magnitude of overqualification and its evolution in comparison with Europe, integrating classical labor supply and demand models to explain the economic mechanisms that generate the mismatch. The paper formulates hypotheses, research questions, and proposes lines of action to improve the efficiency of the Spanish labor market.