Generation Z is pushing into the job market. According to statistics, a large proportion have a university degree. However, this is precisely what is becoming a downfall for some young people, as there are too many applicants for too few positions. In Germany, every 5th employee is overqualified.
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Many young people are currently pushing into the job market and some are already complaining about their peers. However, young people who have just graduated from university often share the same problem: they are extremely well-educated like hardly any other generation. And this is precisely what is becoming their downfall in the job market.
Many university graduates are desperately searching for a job that matches their qualifications
The English-speaking BBC has investigated how Generation Z behaves in the job market. And the results are surprising. Every year there are millions of new university graduates entering the job market looking for a job. However, many of them do not find a position in the field for which they studied. In the end, they work for a delivery service or as police assistants.
As an example, a young woman is mentioned who graduated in finance from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and ends up working as a masseuse in a sports clinic. And she is not the only one from her year: she says that many of her peers from Generation Z who accompanied her in her master’s studies “were looking for a job for the first time and very few found one.”
In Germany, about every 5th employee is overqualified for their job
How bad is it in Europe? In Europe, the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat for short) regularly collects data from numerous EU countries. In a data analysis in 2024 Eurostat found that on average, every 5th employee is overqualified for their job.
Spain is the most affected country with over 30%, while Iceland is the least affected with around 10%. Germany has an average of around 20%.
For a long time, Generation Z was seen as the demographic group that particularly wanted to land office jobs and leadership positions in order to earn high salaries. Many young people saw a university degree as the best way to achieve that.
This is also reflected in the statistics: While the proportion of academics was still 7% in 1975, it has risen to 21% in 2021—significantly more than ever before in Germany. Other fields that are desperately searching for employees are also feeling the effects.
Generation Z is facing two major problems beyond criticism. On one hand, rents are becoming increasingly expensive, and on the other hand, people no longer want to take any job just to earn money. And this is especially not well-received by older generations, who refer to their own life paths: Generation Z is currently facing two major problems, one of which cannot be solved without help.
