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Undereducation and Overeducation in the Australian Labour Market

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  • DERBY VOON
  • PAUL W. MILLER

Abstract

This paper uses data from the 1996 Census of Population and Housing Household Sample File (HSF) to study the incidence of mismatch between workers' educational attainments and the requirements of their jobs, and the earnings consequences of this mismatch. It also examines whether mismatch contributes to the explanation of the gender wage differential in the Australian labour market. It is found that approximately 15.8 per cent of men and 13.6 per cent of women are overeducated, whereas approximately 18.5 per cent of women and 13.7 per cent of men are undereducated. Substantial earnings consequences are found to be associated with this mismatch, with surplus schooling yielding relatively low returns. The results suggest that mismatch does not account for the gender wage gap in the Australian labour market; rather the gender wage differential is entrenched in the fundamentals of pay determination.

Suggested Citation

  • Derby Voon & Paul W. Miller, 2005. "Undereducation and Overeducation in the Australian Labour Market," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 81(s1), pages 22-33, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ecorec:v:81:y:2005:i:s1:p:s22-s33
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-4932.2005.00247.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Kleibrink, Jan, 2014. "Sick of your Job? – Negative Health Effects from Non-Optimal Employment," Ruhr Economic Papers 514, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    2. Green, Colin & Kler, Parvinder & Leeves, Gareth, 2007. "Immigrant overeducation: Evidence from recent arrivals to Australia," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 420-432, August.
    3. Matloob Piracha & Massimiliano Tani & Florin Vadean, 2012. "Immigrant over- and under-education: the role of home country labour market experience," IZA Journal of Migration and Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 1(1), pages 1-21, December.
    4. Merve Cim & Michael Kind & Jan Kleibrink, 2020. "Occupational mismatch of immigrants in Europe: the role of education and cognitive skills," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1), pages 96-112, January.
    5. Bünstorf, Guido & Krabel, Stefan, 2014. "Gender and Immigration: Double Negative Effects in the Labor Market Outcomes of University Graduates in Germany?," VfS Annual Conference 2014 (Hamburg): Evidence-based Economic Policy 100290, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    6. Tani, Massimiliano, 2012. "Does Immigration Policy Affect the Education-Occupation Mismatch? Evidence from Australia," IZA Discussion Papers 6937, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Theresa Geißler & Laszlo Goerke, 2023. "Educational Mismatch and Labour Market Institutions: The Role of Gender," Working Papers 2023.14, International Network for Economic Research - INFER.
    8. Junankar, Pramod N. (Raja), 2009. "Was there a Skills Shortage in Australia?," IZA Discussion Papers 4651, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Jan Kleibrink, 2014. "Sick of your Job? – Negative Health Effects from Non-Optimal Employment," Ruhr Economic Papers 0514, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
    10. George Messinis, 2009. "Earnings and Languages in the Family: Second-Generation Australians," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 85(s1), pages 59-73, September.
    11. Seamus McGuinness & Mark Wooden, 2007. "Overskilling, Job Insecurity and Career Mobility: Evidence from Australia," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2007n09, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    12. Kostas Mavromaras & Seamus Mcguinness & Yin King Fok, 2009. "Assessing the Incidence and Wage Effects of Overskilling in the Australian Labour Market," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 85(268), pages 60-72, March.
    13. Chiswick, Barry R. & Miller, Paul W., 2005. "Computer Skills, Destination Language Proficiency and the Earnings of Natives and Immigrants," IZA Discussion Papers 1755, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
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    15. Sholeh A. Maani & Le Wen, 2021. "Over-education and immigrant earnings: a penalized quantile panel regression analysis," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(24), pages 2771-2790, May.
    16. Wen, Le & Maani, Sholeh A., 2023. "Earnings Penalty of Educational Mismatch: A Comparison of Alternative Methods of Assessing Over-Education," IZA Discussion Papers 15943, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    17. Jian Z. Yeo & Sholeh A. Maani, 2017. "Educational mismatches and earnings in the New Zealand labour market," New Zealand Economic Papers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(1), pages 28-48, January.
    18. Jan Kleibrink, 2016. "Inept or Badly Matched? — Effects of Educational Mismatch in the Labor Market," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 30(1), pages 88-108, March.
    19. Kitae Sohn, 2010. "The Role of Cognitive and Noncognitive Skills in Overeducation," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 31(2), pages 124-145, June.

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