Skill Recognition, Workplace Integration, and Labour-Market Outcomes of Migrant Professionals: Qualification Recognition and Occupational Matching in European Labour Markets

Abstract

Highly educated migrants often enter destination-country labour markets with university qualifications, professional training, and work experience that are not fully reflected in the jobs they obtain after migration. This study examines occupational matching among approximately 6,400 tertiary-educated migrant professionals aged 25–54 across five European Union member states. The analysis draws on the 2021 European Union Labour Force Survey migration module together with comparative OECD evidence on immigrant integration. Overqualification among migrant professionals ranges from 28% to 47%, compared with 15–21% among native-born tertiary-educated workers. Formal recognition of foreign qualifications is associated with a substantial difference in occupational matching: 28% of migrants with recognised qualifications are overqualified, compared with 42% of migrants whose qualifications are not recognised. Migrants of non-EU origin have the highest overqualification rate, at 47%. The 14-percentage-point difference between the recognised and unrecognised groups indicates that formal recognition is closely related to the occupational use of migrant education, although recognition alone does not eliminate mismatch. Research on the international transferability of human capital, employer assessment of overseas credentials, destination-country language proficiency, professional contacts, gendered labour-market constraints, and discriminatory recruitment helps explain why occupational downgrading can continue after formal recognition. The findings support an integrated policy response centred on timely qualification assessment, occupation-specific bridging, employer-facing credential information, professional entry opportunities, structured recruitment, and transparent advancement procedures.