To your second point -
There is no such thing as “overqualified” for a job. Either you meet the parameters established (and hopefully exceed them) or you do not. This “overqualified” thing only comes up in the minds of the prospective employer, who is afraid that once the “overqualified” candidate is hired, it shall be only a short while until the “overqualified” person moves on to a higher and better-paying position that provides more job satisfaction.
If the employer cannot provide the better pay, sometimes providing more in the form of job satisfaction is enough to retain the very good employee. Or the employer could offer more pay, based on current performance. The job market is much more competitive now than it was at one time in the very recent past.
Jobs that go unfilled due to administrative limitations on “targeted” hiring are a double burden on the whole employment picture. There ARE many potential candidates that are not considered because the “qualifications” are drawn much too narrowly, and having to do with factors that have no relevance to the task to be performed.
Meritocracy has its virtues.
“There is no such thing as “overqualified” for a job.”
Really? Suppose you need someone to cut meat in a butcher shop and a surgeon applied? I’m just curious.