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Employment polarization and over-education in Germany, Spain, Sweden and UK

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  • Sudipa Sarkar

    (University of Salamanca)

Abstract

The objective of this study is twofold. First, it investigates the association between technological change and over-education by analysing incidence of over-education and its change across skill-based and task-based job categories. Second, it compares countries with different employment change pattern—mainly upgrading and polarizing—to establish a link between employment polarization and over-education. Using data from European Labour Force Survey covering the period from 1999 to 2007, the paper analyses four countries of Europe—Germany, Spain, Sweden and UK. The results suggest higher incidence of over-education in polarized countries—Spain and UK as compared to countries with a somewhat upgrading pattern of employment change—Germany and Sweden. It also reveals that in Spain and UK, over-education is prominent and increasing over time in the low-skill jobs which are mostly non-routine manual in nature, while Germany and Sweden have more over-educated workers in middle skilled routine and high skilled analytical jobs. I find similar results in both descriptive and job fixed effects regressions.

Suggested Citation

  • Sudipa Sarkar, 2017. "Employment polarization and over-education in Germany, Spain, Sweden and UK," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 44(3), pages 435-463, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:empiri:v:44:y:2017:i:3:d:10.1007_s10663-017-9372-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s10663-017-9372-8
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    Cited by:

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    3. Arnaud Herault, 2019. "Occupational mismatch and network effects: Evidence from France," Post-Print hal-02860048, HAL.
    4. Christine Mayrhuber & Rainer Eppel & Thomas Horvath & Helmut Mahringer, 2020. "Destandardisierung von Erwerbsverläufen und Rückwirkungen auf die Alterssicherung," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 66001, April.
    5. Arnaud Herault, 2019. "Occupational mismatch and network effects: Evidence from France," Post-Print hal-02860040, HAL.
    6. Julia Bock-Schappelwein & Michael Böheim & Elisabeth Christen & Stefan Ederer & Matthias Firgo & Klaus S. Friesenbichler & Werner Hölzl & Mathias Kirchner & Angela Köppl & Agnes Kügler & Christine May, 2018. "Politischer Handlungsspielraum zur optimalen Nutzung der Vorteile der Digitalisierung für Wirtschaftswachstum, Beschäftigung und Wohlstand," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 61256, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Over-education; Employment polarization; Job quality; Employment change;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • P52 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Comparative Economic Systems - - - Comparative Studies of Particular Economies

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