Navigating Overqualification: Vocational Identity and Career Adaptability Among Skilled Latino Migrants in Europe.

Skilled migrants, a growing minority in Europe, tend to be under-represented in high-skilled jobs and most of those who are highly educated experience overqualification. Overqualification has been shown to have significant effects on vocational identity, career adaptability and well-being. Therefore, this study examines ten unique career construction narratives of migrants who experienced overqualification during their migration transition in Germany (3), Italy (4) and the Czech Republic (3). Career narratives involve a complex process of deconstruction and reconstruction of occupational identity following a change of occupation, resulting in a rethink, redirection, change or persistence of vocational identity. Latino skilled migrants chose to migrate for study, family and exchange purposes, but there were many underlying factors. After migration, they faced linguistic, social, economic, labour, cultural and institutional barriers in the destination country, which required proactivity to overcome these challenges as education, learning, strengthening social networks, maintaining cultural identity, adherencing to government programmes, scholarships, among others. Feelings such as frustration, depression and anxiety were part of their experiences, and confidence in their abilities may be affected. However, their future aspirations remain optimistic based on their concern, control and curiosity to adapt to the new work environment.