[HIGHLIGHTS] Spain wastes foreign talent: one in two immigrants works below their qualifications

54% of foreign workers with university studies are overqualified compared to 33% of Spaniards. One million interviews collected in the European Labor Force Survey reveal that Mara Eugenia's case is not an isolated case.

The difference in overqualification between those born here (33%) and foreigners (54%) is 21 points, considering the responses to the European survey between 2017 and 2022. This occurs in all the countries analyzed, but the data from Spain stands out: It is the third country with the most overqualified foreigners (after Italy and Greece), and the gap with locals is also 21 points. In Spain, the gap translates into three key gaps between immigrants and natives: overqualified, unemployment, and income. The gap between foreigners and Spaniards is the fifth highest in Europe, according to a joint investigation by EL PAS and the Financial Times. It is also the third highest gap in the world, after the United States and the United Kingdom. The study was based on responses to a survey of more than 1,000 people in Spain. Despite complaints from businesses and the Executive, Spain registers one of the lowest rates of unfilled vacancies in Europe, according to Eurostat. A major obstacle for immigrants seeking qualified jobs in Spain is the recognition of their qualifications. Two thirds (67%) of immigrants who do not manage to have their diploma homologated do jobs for which they are overqualified. Among those who do achieve certification, 49% end up in a job below their training. The Ministry of Migration recognizes that overqualification problems affect immigrants to a greater extent, but they emphasize that it is a "generalized phenomenon in the European Union." To solve this, Elma Saiz's department is committed to "involving companies and adopting formulas to search for and retain talent. " The Spanish government is also committed to finding ways to make it easier for immigrants to find jobs in the country and improve the quality of the labor market. The Spanish government is working with the European Commission to find a solution to the problem.