Overskilling, Job Insecurity and Career Mobility

Seamus McGuinness and Mark Wooden

No 2938, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper uses longitudinal data from Australia to examine the extent to which overskilling – the extent to which work-related skills and abilities are utilized in current employment – is a transitory phenomenon. The results suggest that while overskilled workers are much more likely to want to quit their current job, they are also relatively unconfident of finding an improved job match. Furthermore, some of the greater mobility observed among overskilled workers is due to involuntary job separations, and even in instances where job separations are voluntary, the majority of moves do not result in improved skills matches.

Keywords: overskilling; job insecurity; job mobility; HILDA Survey; Australia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J24 J62 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 30 pages
Date: 2007-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-bec, nep-hrm and nep-lab
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (44)

Published - Published in: Industrial Relations, 2009, 48(2), 265-286. doi:10.1111/j.1468-232X.2009.00557.x

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