Business · Economy · 6 hrs ago
37.6% of workers in Spain are overqualified for their jobs
A study by Fundación Afi says 37.6% of workers in Spain are overqualified for their jobs.
It found that almost half of workers have a mismatch between their education and the level their job requires, including 10.9% who are underqualified.
The study says the number of people in Spain with higher education rose from 6 million in 2002 to more than 14 million in 2025, while medium-level education grew more slowly.
Some workers born abroad may be in jobs below their qualifications because their degrees or work experience are not recognised, or because they need to find work quickly.
The study also found that Spain trails comparable European countries in reading, maths and problem-solving skills, though it is near the European average in social and emotional skills.
Fundación Afi estimates that about 11.6 million jobs in Spain are exposed to AI, with exposure higher in knowledge-intensive industries than in farming and fishing.
The study says AI is more likely to restructure work than directly replace jobs, and some tasks may be supported by the technology.
A Fundación Afi study found that 37.6% of workers in Spain are overqualified for their jobs.
The report says almost half of workers hold jobs that do not match their level of education.
Workers with higher education increased from 6 million in 2002 to more than 14 million in 2025.
The study found that 10.9% of employed people are underqualified for their jobs.
It also estimated that about 11.6 million jobs in Spain are exposed to artificial intelligence, though some could be complemented rather than replaced.
- Who
- Workers in Spain, according to a study by Fundación Afi.
- What
- The study found that 37.6% of workers are overqualified for their jobs.
- When
- The study was presented on Thursday. The article was published on 29 October 2026.
- Where
- Spain.
- Why
- The report says mismatches can reflect the gap between workers’ education and available jobs. For some immigrants, difficulty getting foreign qualifications recognised may contribute.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Spain had 6 million people with higher education, according to the report.
The number of people with higher education rose by 119%, while those with medium-level education increased by 70%.
The number of people with higher education exceeded 14 million.
Fundación Afi presented its study on productivity, skills and the future of human capital in Spain.
- Overqualified workers
- 37.6% of workers in Spain
- Underqualified workers
- 10.9% of employed people
- Higher education
- More than 14 million people in 2025, up from 6 million in 2002
- Jobs exposed to AI
- About 11.6 million in Spain
- AI exposure by sector
- Nearly 100% in knowledge-intensive industries such as financial services; below 20% for farmers and fishers
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What people are saying
not all is lost, because these are skills that are more complementary and less substitutable with the new artificial intelligence technologies to come
Spain is still characterised by a significant shortage of people with medium levels of education