Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.17818/DIEM/2026/SI7
OVEREDUCATION IN GREEN INDUSTRIES: METHODOLOGICAL ASYMMETRIES AND EVIDENCE FROM CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
Marija Bečić
; University of Dubrovnik, Faculty of Economics and Business, Croatia
*
Perica Vojinić
; University of Dubrovnik, Faculty of Economics and Business, Croatia
Luljeta Elezaj
; University of Prishtina, Kosovo
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Educational mismatch in the labour market generates measurable economic losses through underutilised human capital, wage penalties for overeducated workers, and an inefficient allocation of resources invested in education, making its analysis particularly relevant in sectors affected by the green transition. This paper examines the extent and structure of overeducation in green industries across Central and Eastern European countries (Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and the Slovak Republic), using microdata from the second cycle of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). Green industries are identified by combining the Eurostat Environmental Goods and Services Sector (EGSS) methodology with the Cedefop (2019) analytical framework, mapped onto two-digit NACE Rev. 2 industry classifications. Two complementary and conceptually distinct measures of overeducation are applied: a subjective measure, based on workers' self-assessment of the education required for their job, and an objective (modal) measure, based on the statistical distribution of educational attainment within occupations. The results reveal a pronounced methodological asymmetry: subjective overeducation rates in green industries do not differ significantly from those in other industries, whereas objective overeducation rates are significantly lower in green industries than in other industries. The findings indicate that conclusions about the prevalence of overeducation in green industries depend on the measure applied and should be interpreted with caution, particularly given the broad sector-level definition of green industries used here.
Keywords
educational mismatch; overeducation; green industries; PIAAC; Central and Eastern Europe
Hrčak ID:
352136
URI
Publication date:
15.10.2026.
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