More than half of workers in Malta are in jobs that do not match their level of skills or education, new figures show.  

Released on Thursday by the National Statistics Office the first-ever skills mismatch report found that 54% of workers are either over- or under-qualified for the job they are in.

Of these, 35% are over-educated for their current position, while 19% are deemed to not have enough skills or education to be in their position. 

The NSO said that in 2021 women tended to be over-educated (40%) when compared to their male counterparts (32%). 

Women are more likey to be over-educated than men according to the NSO study.

The study looked into what is known in employment studies as a vertical mismatch, which is when a person’s level of education does not tally with their job.  

You are less likely to be over-educated for your job, the older you get. 

In fact, 39% of those between 15 and 34 were over-educated, decreasing to 36% between 35 and 54-year-olds and then down even further to 20% among those 55 years old and over. 

The level of education mismatch in Malta. Image: NSO.

The difference between Maltese and foreign workers

Foreign workers employed in Malta are less likely to be over-educated when compared to Maltese workers, according to the study. 

Some 43% of Maltese workers are deemed over-educated for the jobs, compared to 32% of foreign workers.  

And while 15% of Maltese workers are under-skilled for the posts, that figure is higher among foreigners (21%).  

Maltese are more likely to be over-educated than under-educated for the job they are in. Graphic: NSO

Some economic sectors are more likely to have issues with skills mismatching than others.  

Some 60% of service and sales workers are over-educated. 

Conversely, managers (54%) and professionals (28%) are more likely to be under-educated for their job.

The highest share of over-educated workers are employed in public administration, defence, education, health, and social work. 

On the other hand, workers in the information and communication sector had higher shares of people who were under-educated for the job.

Some industries have higher shares of under-educated people than others. Chart: NSO

The NSO also published data on Malta’s over-qualified - those who have attained tertiary education yet work in occupations for which this level of education is not required. 

Over-qualification on the rise

The “over-qualification rate” in Malta has increased over the years, from 12% in 2012 to 20% in 2021.

The over-qualification rate among women was 10 percentage points higher than their male counterparts. 

The NSO said this suggested more women were working in jobs beneath their level of skills and education. 

Foreign workers are 20 percentage points more likely to be over-qualified than Maltese workers. 

Putting all this into context, the NSO said that in 2020, the over-qualification rate for Malta stood at 17%, some 4 percentage points lower than the EU average.