Over-Qualification and the Dimensions of Job Satisfaction
García-Mainar, I., & Montuenga-Gómez, V. M. (2020). Over-Qualification and the Dimensions of Job Satisfaction. Social Indicators Research, 147(2), 591-620. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-019-02167-z
Resumen:
The spread of over-qualification is a consequence of individuals having acquired more credentials than required at the workplace. In some cases, it may be that this mismatch plays a role in allowing workers to compensate for the lack of some other skills, to escape from unemployment, or to achieve job stability in the labour market. Consequently, workers may feel no less satisfied, at least in some aspects, than adequately-matched workers. The aim of this paper is to analyse the relationship between over-qualification and the various dimensions of job satisfaction in Spain, a country characterised by a strongly-segmented labour market with high unemployment levels, and a significant number of mismatched employees. Using micro data for a representative sample of Spanish workers, we carry out simultaneous maximum likelihood estimations on a two-equation system to control for potential endogeneity. The results obtained provide evidence that does not reject the hypothesis that mismatched workers do not necessarily feel less satisfied than adequately-matched workers in the dimensions of job satisfaction related to extrinsic domains or social relations.
Keywords:
Over-qualification, Job satisfaction, Simulated maximum likelihood estimation, Spain
JEL Classification:
D82, I26, J24, J28, J62