B2 — Upper Intermediate
Nearly half of Australians feel overqualified for their jobs, with this mismatch linked to lower levels of job and life satisfaction.
Meanwhile, one in four Australians say their current roles do not allow them to fully use their skills and abilities.
Read the article and find out more about the alignment between Australians’ education, skills and abilities and the jobs they hold.
Vocabulary Questions:
- Explain the meaning of “labor market mismatch”. “So the overall proportion of people experiencing labour market mismatches has remained roughly stable.” Use the term in a sentence. Give a synonym.
- What does it mean “to merely keep up with someone/something”? “But that growth has merely kept up with the growth in people’s actual levels of education.” Use the idiom in a sentence. Give a synonym.
- What does “mixed-use zoning“ mean? “This requires coordinated urban policy, such as mixed-use zoning and affordable housing, as well as investments in transport infrastructure.” Use the term in a sentence. Give a synonym.
Discussion Questions:
- What are some possible reasons why people accept jobs that require less education or skills than they have?
- What might be the implications when half of workers in a country are overeducated for their jobs?
- Do you think your country faces the same issue with overeducation and overskilling? Discuss.
- How might being overqualified affect a person’s motivation and attitude toward work?
- How can job matches be improved?