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Overeducation refers to the extent to which workers acquired education levels in excess of that required by their jobs. Low educational level is pointed out as a determinant for the incidence of overeducation, which is usually associated with negative labor market outcomes. According to this argument, poorly educated workers are only qualified for jobs that require less years of schooling than they obtained. This paper aims to investigate the relationship between the probability of overeducation and the type of educational system (public or private education, which have quite different quality levels in Brazil). Estimates show that workers with secondary education who completed their study in public schools are more likely to be overeducated than those who completed their secondary education in private schools, which usually have better quality than the former ones. Among workers with a bachelor’s degree, those who completed their programs in public institutions, which usually have better quality than private ones for higher education, are less likely to be overeducated.

RESUMO: O trabalho objetiva discutir o efeito da escolaridade sobre as desigualdades de renda em duas metrópoles brasileiras, Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo, contrastando dois modelos analíticos: o modelo referente à teoria do capital humano e o modelo overeducation, required education e undereducation (ORU). Esse contraste procura apresentar evidências empíricas de que a escolaridade exigida pela ocupação é mais relevante do que a escolaridade do indivíduo. Porém, tanto numa situação como noutra, o efeito da escolaridade sofre alteração a depender da conjuntura do mercado de trabalho: numa situação de elevada taxa de desemprego, o efeito da escolaridade é mais elevado; o contrário se evidencia quando a taxa de desemprego é mais reduzida. Foram utilizados os dados da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios, do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística, de 2002, 2007 e 2013. ABSTRACT: The work discusses the effect of education on income inequality in two Brazilian cities, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, contrasting analytical models: the model related to the theory of human capital and the overeducation, required education and undereducation (ORU) model. This contrast seeks to present empirical evidence that the education required by occupation is more relevant than individuals' level of education. However, in both situations the effect of education changes depending on the labor market condition: in a high unemployment one, the effect of education is higher; the opposite is evident when the unemployment rate is lower. Data from the National Household Sampling Survey of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics of 2002, 2007 and 2013 were used RÉSUMÉ: Ce travail traite de l'effet de l'éducation sur l'inégalité des revenus dans deux villes brésiliennes, Rio de Janeiro et São Paulo, en confrontant deux modèles d'analyse: le modèle lié à la théorie du capital humain et le modèle ORU (suréducation, formation requise et la sous-scolarisation). Cette confrontation tente de montrer empiriquement que l'éducation requis par la profession est plus pertinente que le niveau d'éducation de l'individu. Cependant, et quelle que soit le modèle, l'effet de l'éducation change en fonction du marché du travail: dans une situation de chômage élevé, l'effet de l'éducation est plus élevé; on observe l'inverse lorsque le taux de chômage est plus faible. Les données de l'Enquête nationale par échantillon de domiciles par l'Institut Brésilien de Géographie et Statistique (IBGE) de 2002, 2007 et 2013.