How HTQs could help tackle the UK’s over-qualification problem

17 Jun 2025 03:53 PM

In December 2024, the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) published its latest Survey of Adult Skills. It’s a major international study looking at adult literacy, numeracy and problem-solving; and it’s only published once every ten years. 

The findings matter because they help us understand how the UK’s education system compares to the rest of the world. One standout insight is that England has the highest rate of over-qualified workers across all OECD countries. 

That might seem surprising, especially given how often we hear about skills shortages. So, what’s really going on and how can Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) help? 

What do we mean by “over-qualified”? 

Over-qualification happens when someone has higher qualifications than their job needs. Across the OECD, around 23% of people are over-qualified. But in England, that figure jumps to 37%, the highest of all countries in the report. Only 6% of people in England are underqualified for their jobs. 

It’s not just about qualifications either. The survey also looks at skills mismatches, and once again, England is one of the top offenders. We lead the table for both over-skilling and over-qualifying our workforce.