The new generations of workers are much more qualified than thirty years ago, but the growth in skilled employment has not met the increasing number of graduates. In the context of widespread persistent unemployment, some young graduates are thus forced to accept low-skilled or low-paid employment rather than be unemployed. This gap between level of education and employment, here referred to as «downgrading», whether perceived by young people or measured statistically, affects approximately one in four young graduates three years after they have finished their studies. This downgrading even affects the most qualified graduates, but to a lesser extent. This situation is a source of dissatisfaction in the labour market and leads the downgraded young graduates to leave their job more often.