The largest percentage (69.2%) of people aged 15-34 in the country consider that their level of education meets the requirements of their job. This percentage varies considerably, depending on the employment status: it is higher for the employed (72.2%) and lower for the unemployed (52.3%) and people outside the labor force (61%). The largest percentage of people with work below their educational level (32.5%) is observed among the unemployed.

Similar differences are found between men and women: 24% of women work (or have worked) in a job with lower requirements than their educational level, while the corresponding figure for men is 20.3%.

From ELSTAT’s special survey (ad hoc) for young people in the labor market concerning 2024, the following also emerges:

The percentage of people who state that their level of education is higher than the requirements of their job varies significantly by occupation. The largest percentage (56.1%) is found in people who last worked as Operators of industrial facilities, machinery and equipment. High rates, for both employed and unemployed, are seen in Office Workers, Service and Sales Workers, and Skilled Farmers.

The majority of respondents (70.9%) consider that their skills meet the requirements of their current or last job. This percentage is higher for men (73%) and people aged 25-29 (72.1%), while it is significantly lower for people 15-29 (57%).

One in 5 people consider that they have skills that are superior to the requirements of their job (19.5%), while the highest relative percentages are found among women (21.4%) and people aged 30-34 (20%). The percentage of those who believe that they have skills inferior to the job requirements is particularly small (3.1%).

As for the people who consider themselves to have skills superior to those required by their job, it is found that there are significant differences depending on the level of education and employment status. 22.7% of people with higher education consider themselves to have (or had) higher skills and in the case of the unemployed with higher education, this percentage rises to 41.5%. In contrast, of those with less education, only 6.5% consider their skills to exceed the requirements of their job.

Most people consider that the subject of their studies agrees very much or to a great extent with the requirements of their work (65.7%). This percentage varies according to the subject of study, with people who have completed studies in Agriculture and Veterinary medicine declaring the lowest percentage (52.2%) and people with Economics, Administration and Law the highest (74.4%).

The percentage of people who consider that the subject of their studies covers the requirements of their job to a certain extent (or less) amounts to 21.4%. It is higher for people who have studied Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine (45.7%) and lower for people who have completed General programs (13.3%). The percentage of people whose work does not require a specific subject of study is also low in general (4.8%).

The percentage of people who state that they work in jobs with requirements that are not covered (at all or only to a small extent) by the subject of their studies varies significantly depending on the occupation of the respondent. It is higher for Skilled farmers (22.1%) and particularly low for Professionals (3.5%) and Technicians and related occupations (5.6%).

The percentage of people who state that they left a study program without completing it is particularly small (2.2%). It is higher for men (2.8%), people aged 30-34 (3.7%) and the unemployed (3.8%).