What an (Un) Favorable Match: Public Sector Employment and the Reversal of the Overeducation-Job Satisfaction Penalty

Theresa Geißler ()
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Theresa Geißler: Trier University, IAAEU

Journal of Happiness Studies, 2025, vol. 26, issue 6, No 12, 34 pages

Abstract: Abstract It is a well-documented phenomenon that individuals with higher education than required for their job report lower job satisfaction. However, whether this also applies to public sector employees remains unclear. The German case reveals a negative relationship between overeducation and job satisfaction in the private sector, which is reversed to positive for public sector employees. This holds robust across various empirical alterations. Furthermore, it is revealed that individuals with altruistic motives and a stronger-than-average family orientation drive this positive relationship.

Keywords: Job satisfaction; Overeducation; Public sector; Altruism; Family orientation; H83; I26; J24; J28 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s10902-025-00926-z

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