The UK’s “Overqualification” Crisis Explained

In this video, we’re going to take a look at what you might call the UK’s “overqualification crisis”, why it’s pretty terrible for both those affected and the UK economy more generally, and what might be done to fix it.

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[rozza]

From my perspective as a graduate, the UK produces world leading scientists, engineers and doctors. Getting a graduate job was extremely tough, taking me over 60+ applications and half a year of applying. My friends took 100+ applications or more to get jobs. It feels like the UK is severely lacking enough jobs for number of graduates leaving university. Although, I know a number of people who have left the country to work overseas in greener pastures

[FiniteWisdom]

I keep hearing that there is a shortage of engineers, and some commentators saying that more students should be studying engineering or similar. However, if you look at the stats, half of engineering graduates can't find a job in engineering. And companies barely hire any fresh graduates. This unwillingness to train fresh graduates has lead to a chicken and egg problem. There is a shortage of qualified senior engineers and more and more are hired from abroad.

[Mallerky]

Engineering is such an in demand degree that its salaries begin at £25-30k... going up about £1-2k each year from there. UK is a waste of time

[jaadmaan]

I received a 1st class mathematics degree in the UK. I struggled to find a job that paid 27k. I moved to the USA in January and have made 70k this year doing manual work. I am taking a data analysis role in the new year for 150k. The uk labour market is screwed. My cost of living here are way lower as well

[EpicSlug]

This has caused a big problem because now jobs that don’t truly require a degree can demand one because so many people have one. So you still have to go to university to get a job that you should need to for. It’s a vicious cycle

[DMFP]

I am 31 years old. I graduated ten years ago. Graduates reading this: make plans to leave the UK. There is nothing here

[dvtto]

"In demand degrees like Engineers or Economics". I've got an MSc in Economics and still can't land even a minimum wage job :(

[BreadWinner]

Mid-level software developer here, earning £40, 000. There is high demand for high-skill workers but that does not mean high-paying jobs. My main observation is that the UK does not have FAANG-like companies that pay 6 figure salaries to hire engineers that create world-class databases, search engines, AI models etc. Therefore other companies have no need to offer "competitive salaries" in order to compete with FAANG for talent. Essentially, the UK does not have a large enough industrial sector to create mega-corporations that can afford to hoard the best talent and keep the job market afloat.

[lukemwill]

I mean, my entire generation from the 90's were basically told if you don't go to university then you won't amount to anything which was total bullshit.

[nathanerrington]

When you look at the USA, you find that they have similar graduation rates, and similar proportions of graduates being from STEM subjects, but the pay relative to non-grads is much higher than in the UK. We don't have an overqualification crisis, we have an underinvestment crisis meaning there aren't the jobs to utilise the skills students develop

[wotchadave]

UK productivity problem in a nutshell: "Why don't these young people with £45k of student devt want to work for £27k per year?"

[siongunn]

I get that people with high academic achievements working for something they're over qualified for is wasted potential, but I think the bigger problem is that "low-skilled" work is actually really demanding and isn't compensated well at all. Worker satisfaction would be less of an issue if jobs that needed to be done to keep society ticking to support academic ventures wasn't so poorly paid and soul crushing.

[davidmcintyre]

I went into a trade at 17, done a 4 year apprenticeship and I have worked in the trade for the last 6 years. The company I work for pays decent money for Scotland, 39k a year base and potential to make more on overtime etc. 18 months ago I asked if they could put me through a construction management course that would last 2 years. They said yes and within the next 6 months I’ll finish the course and be able to apply for jobs over 40k a year as a construction site manager. What I’m trying to say is that you don’t always have to go to uni straight from school to get a decent wage. Uni can put you in debt before you even start working. If you go into a trade you can be fully qualified by as young as 20 and make decent money with next to no debt.

[Deepthought-]

Put another way UK government allowed its scientific, technology research and development and manufacturing industry to decline. The government has also failed to invest in major national infrastructure projects that require qualified personnel.

[dimodihanov]

I have a Master's in Biomedical Engineering and was so shocked when I realised there's literally no jobs for me. Literally 0 jobs that fit my skills and experience. In the end, I was lucky to land a medical physicist job at the NHS, but it was so sad that my expectations were crushed as I thought that the UK would have more opportunities in the engineering industry. Everyone else now goes into banking or consultancy just because there's literally nothing else.

[thegoat]

I went to the worst performing school in the entire UK. This along with me missing one year of schooling due to chronic sickness resulted in me leaving school with no qualifications. What followed were places on various government job schemes one of which was the community programme. I also had long periods of unemployment. I used to pass Newcastle University on the bus and I looked at the students with envy, they were going places and I was not. I knew that I had brains but the dead end jobs and periods of unemployment continued. Then one day I read an article in the free local newspaper about how it was possible to go to University via the access to higher education route. It took a few years but I got there and in spite of some ups and downs I left University aged fifty with an (Hons) degree in English Language and Linguitics. Unfortunately my chronic illness has prevented me from doing anything with my degree but I still consider the debt and experience worthwhile.

[Qoonutz]

Not just the UK. It is happening EVERYWHERE.

[thesuperbright]

I'd be very intrigued by the maps of where the most overqualified workers are in the UK. As a graduate and current masters student who has exclusively been educated in the north, everyone I have met during my education has either ended up in a job they are overqualified for or moved to London or abroad. Many simply do not want to or cannot afford to move to London and end up without options.

[Nonixification]

Uk is a strange workplace. 50% of the workers are somebody`s manager.

[JeSuisKomé]

But like, without a degree we might not even get the ‘mismatched’ job that we don’t want at the first place