In the European Union, 40% of highly educated third-country nationals work below their qualification level, double the rate for EU nationals.

Omissions

• The MEP rounded the figure to 40%; the most recent Eurostat figure before the session (2025) is 41.4%, while the 2024 figure was 39.8% — both consistent with 'around 40%'.
• The claim compares non-EU citizens (third-country nationals) with 'nationals of the reporting country'; the Eurostat indicator for citizens of other EU countries was 30.2% in 2025, so the 'double' ratio applies specifically to the comparison with nationals, not with all EU citizens.

Sources

• PrimaryEurostat — Migrant integration statistics: over-qualification (Statistics Explained)'In 2025, over-qualification was highest among non-EU citizens at 41.4% (Figure 1). This rate was up from 39.8% in 2024, and represented the highest value since 2020. By contrast, in 2025, the rate fell slightly to 30.2% for citizens of other EU countries and stayed lowest for nationals at 20.0%.'
• PrimaryEurostat — Employment: annual statistics (Statistics Explained)'The over-qualification rate in the EU was 21.4% in 2025, with a marked difference between foreign citizens (37.0%) and nationals of the reporting country (20.0%) (see Figure 6, referring to the 20-64 age group).'