Dutch jobseekers settle for less

Citation

(1999), "Dutch jobseekers settle for less", Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 23 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/jeit.1999.00323cab.012

Dutch jobseekers settle for less

Dutch jobseekers settle for less

Keywords Education, Employees, Holland, Qualifications

Dutch people are finding it increasingly difficult to gain employment to match their educational qualifications, even though jobs require ever higher standards. The rush for diplomas and certificates has resulted in the standard of employee qualifications rising even faster than jobs require.

According to the Organisation for Strategic Labour Market Research (OSA), the hardest hit are people with little or no qualifications. They are being replaced in their jobs by more highly educated employees. The 1998 study, called Over-educated, shows that three years ago 38 per cent of the working population had a job below the level to which they had been educated. In 1971, this was only 17 per cent. This trend can be seen throughout the employment spectrum, which creates a downward spiral, pushing aside those less educated.

The researchers point out that the percentage of jobs at a level requiring little or no qualifications did not decrease since 1960, in spite of increasing technological developments and the competitive struggle with countries which have low labour costs.

One solution to this problem could be to subsidize jobs at the lower end of the spectrum, but this would only diminish the symptoms. OSA suggests creating more high-grade jobs, thus preventing a further increase in the difference between job requirements and educational qualifications.

The OSA report, De kwalitatieve structuur van de werkgeleegenheid in Nederland, contains an English summary and can be ordered from SDU. Tel: 31 70+378 4830; Fax: 31 70+378 9783.