PhD conferral ms. Melline A. Somers, MSc.

Key words: mismatch, education, labour market, skills

“Human Capital Mismatch in the Labour Market”

Good coordination between the demand and supply of skills is becoming increasingly important because of technological developments, increased global competition and changes in the composition of the labour force. This dissertation provides insight into the extent to which mismatch occurs on the Dutch labour market and what policy measures can be taken to prevent this. In addition, this dissertation maps how the demand for skills changes. The findings show that skill mismatch in Dutch companies decreased substantially between 1991 and 2011 and that the increased education level of the labour force contributed to this. The results also suggest that mismatch can be prevented by better informing students about the labour market perspectives of study programs. Finally, this dissertation shows that the reward for analytical skills increased between 2001 and 2016.