Overqualification unreveled: a multidimensional and fuzzy set analysis

Gianni Betti (), Francesca Gagliardi (), Giulio Ghellini () and Gabriele Lombardi ()
Additional contact information
Gianni Betti: University of Siena
Francesca Gagliardi: University of Siena
Giulio Ghellini: University of Siena
Gabriele Lombardi: University of Florence

Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, 2025, vol. 59, issue 2, No 6, 1103-1121

Abstract: Abstract This paper proposes a multidimensional and fuzzy set approach for measuring occupational mismatch, testing human capital theory and social closure theory. We propose to use a fuzzy indicator in the range [−1, 1] for each item to quantify the extent of occupational mismatch, which is then used in a factor analysis to identify two dimensions: coherence and satisfaction. Our findings suggest that the multidimensional and fuzzy set approach provides an informative and accurate picture of overqualification, so to disentangle properly the components of job satisfaction and coherence. The fuzzy indicator approach allows for a more nuanced understanding of the concept of occupational mismatch, by accounting for the imprecision and uncertainty inherent in the measurement of this construct. Overall, our study contributes to a better understanding of overqualification and provides a useful methodology for its measurement. The range of the fuzzy indicator highlights the complexity of occupational mismatch and can inform future research in this area.

Keywords: Occupational mismatch; Overqualification; Multidimensional indicators; Fuzzy set theory; Human capital theory; Social closure theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11135-024-02005-6 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:qualqt:v:59:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s11135-024-02005-6

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/11135

DOI: 10.1007/s11135-024-02005-6

Access Statistics for this article

Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology is currently edited by Vittorio Capecchi

More articles in Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().