2007/03/01 by Francis Green, Steven McIntosh · 365 citations
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Connotation #Firm Innovation and Growth #Imperfect #Labor market dynamics and wage inequality #Psychology #Retirement, Disability, and Employment
paper · open access · doi:10.1080/00036840500427700
published in Applied Economics 39(4), 427-439 (Taylor & Francis)
openalex publication_date 2007/03/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Two theories of over-qualification are considered, namely mismatch, whereby workers do not find the most appropriate jobs for their skills, because of imperfect information or labour market rigidities, and ‘heterogeneous workers’, whereby individuals with the same qualifications have different actual skill levels, so that they can be over-qualified in terms of formal qualifications, while their skills are actually appropriate for the jobs that they do. The evidence suggests that both theories are relevant in certain situations.