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Overqualification of graduates : assessing the role of family background (Überqualifikation von Hochschulabsolventen : Welche Rolle spielt der familiäre Hintergrund?)

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  • Erdsiek, Daniel

    (Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) Mannheim)

Abstract

"Overqualification signals a mismatch between jobs' educational requirements and workers' qualifications implying potential productivity losses at the macro and the micro level. This study explores how the family background of German graduates affects the probability to hold a job that does not require tertiary education, i.e. to be overqualified. Potential pathways of the family background effects are discussed and proxy variables for the mediating factors ability and skills, study characteristics, social capital, financial capital, and aspiration are incorporated into the empirical analysis. Graduates from high status families are found to be less likely to be overqualified. The unconditional social overqualification gap amounts to 7.4 percentage points. Blinder-Oaxaca decompositions of the overqualification gap show that differences in ability and skills, study characteristics, and social capital are important mediators of the family background effects." (Author's abstract, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

Suggested Citation

  • Erdsiek, Daniel, 2016. "Overqualification of graduates : assessing the role of family background (Überqualifikation von Hochschulabsolventen : Welche Rolle spielt der familiäre Hintergrund?)," Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 49(3), pages 253-268.
    • Handle: RePEc:iab:iabjlr:v:49:i:3:p:253-268
    DOI: 10.1007/s12651-016-0208-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Bundesrepublik Deutschland ; Berufsverlauf ; Hochschulabsolventen ; Intergenerationsmobilität ; kognitive Fähigkeit ; Persistenz ; soziale Herkunft ; Sozialkapital ; sozioökonomische Faktoren ; Überqualifikation ; unterwertige Beschäftigung ; 1997-1998;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality

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