IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/manchs/v72y2004i4p535-559.html

Over‐Education and Ethnic Minorities in Britain

Author

Listed:
  • H. Battu
  • P. J. Sloane

Abstract

This study examines the utilization of education across ethnic minorities in the UK. In particular, we examine the incidence of mismatch between educational qualifications and occupational attainment, the determinants of any mismatch and the consequences for earnings and other labour market outcomes. Using a modal measure of required education across 60 occupations we find that different ethnic groups have varying levels of over‐education with the highest incidence being amongst the Indian and African‐Asian groups. When we introduce controls we find that the African‐Asians are more likely to be both over‐ and under‐ educated relative to Indians (the omitted group), but this is reversed for those born in the UK. Foreign qualifications increase the likelihood of over‐education for Pakistanis and Bangladeshis but reduce it for African‐Asians. Language fluency increases the likelihood of mismatch. The results from our earnings regressions support previous work in relation to the returns to over‐education, required education and under‐education, though with differences between native and immigrant non‐whites.

Suggested Citation

  • H. Battu & P. J. Sloane, 2004. "Over‐Education and Ethnic Minorities in Britain," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 72(4), pages 535-559, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:manchs:v:72:y:2004:i:4:p:535-559
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9957.2004.00407.x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9957.2004.00407.x
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/j.1467-9957.2004.00407.x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Per-Anders Edin & Peter Fredriksson & Olof Åslund, 2003. "Ethnic Enclaves and the Economic Success of Immigrants—Evidence from a Natural Experiment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 118(1), pages 329-357.
    2. Christian Dustmann & Francesca Fabbri, 2003. "Language proficiency and labour market performance of immigrants in the UK," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 113(489), pages 695-717, July.
    3. Hartog, Joop, 2000. "Over-education and earnings: where are we, where should we go?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 131-147, April.
    4. Mark B. Stewart, 1983. "On Least Squares Estimation when the Dependent Variable is Grouped," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 50(4), pages 737-753.
    5. Duncan, Greg J. & Hoffman, Saul D., 1981. "The incidence and wage effects of overeducation," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 75-86, February.
    6. David Blackaby & Derek Leslie & Philip Murphy & Nigel O’Leary, 1999. "Unemployment Among Britain’s Ethnic Minorities," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 67(1), pages 1-20, January.
    7. P. J. Sloane & H. Battu & P. T. Seaman, 1999. "Overeducation, undereducation and the British labour market," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(11), pages 1437-1453.
    8. Derek Leslie & Stephen Drinkwatr, 1999. "Staying on in Full‐Time Education: Reasons for Higher Participation Rates Among Ethnic Minority Males and Females," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 66(261), pages 63-77, February.
    9. Sattinger, Michael, 1993. "Assignment Models of the Distribution of Earnings," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 31(2), pages 831-880, June.
    10. Kiker, B. F. & Santos, Maria C. & de Oliveira, M. Mendes, 1997. "Overeducation and undereducation: Evidence for Portugal," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 111-125, April.
    11. Weinberg, Bruce A., 2000. "Black Residential Centralization and the Spatial Mismatch Hypothesis," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 110-134, July.
    12. Steven Raphael & Michael A. Stoll, 2000. "Can Boosting Minority Car-Ownership Rates Narrow Inter-Racial Employment Gaps," JCPR Working Papers 200, Northwestern University/University of Chicago Joint Center for Poverty Research.
    13. Raphael, Steven & Stoll, Michael, 2000. "Can Boosting Minority Car-Ownership Rates Narrow Inter-Racial Employment Gaps?," University of California Transportation Center, Working Papers qt4fq193gk, University of California Transportation Center.
    14. Joanne Lindley, 2002. "The English Language Fluency And Earnings Of Ethnic Minorities In Britain," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 49(4), pages 467-487, September.
    15. Chiswick, Barry R & Miller, Paul W, 1995. "The Endogeneity between Language and Earnings: International Analyses," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 13(2), pages 246-288, April.
    16. Lex Borghans & Andries de Grip (ed.), 2000. "The Overeducated Worker?," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 1860, June.
    17. repec:bla:scotjp:v:49:y:2002:i:4:p:467-87 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Sicherman, Nachum, 1991. ""Overeducation" in the Labor Market," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 9(2), pages 101-122, April.
    19. McCormick, Barry, 1986. "Employment Opportunities, Earnings, and the Journey to Work of Minority Workers in Great Britain," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 96(382), pages 375-397, June.
    20. Michael A. Shields & Stephen Wheatley Price, 2002. "The English language fluency and occupational success of ethnic minority immigrant men living in English metropolitan areas," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 15(1), pages 137-160.
    21. Blackaby, D. H. & Leslie, D. G. & Murphy, P. D. & O'Leary, N. C., 1998. "The ethnic wage gap and employment differentials in the 1990s: Evidence for Britain," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(1), pages 97-103, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ana Beatriz Rocha & Hugo Figueiredo & Carla Sá & Miguel Portela, 2025. "Mismatch matters: education and productivity in laggard and frontier firms," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 64(2), pages 189-208, October.
    2. Battu, Harminder & Mwale, McDonald & Zenou, Yves, 2003. "Do Oppositional Identities Reduce Employment for Ethnic Minorities?," Working Paper Series 603, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    3. Dolton, Peter & Silles, Mary, 2001. "Over education in the graduate labour market: some evidence from alumni data," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 19546, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    4. Jan Kleibrink, 2016. "Inept or Badly Matched? — Effects of Educational Mismatch in the Labor Market," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 30(1), pages 88-108, March.
    5. repec:kap:iaecre:v:11:y:2005:i:1:p:93-109 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Fatma El-Hamidi, 2009. "Education-Occupation Mismatch and the Effect on Wages of Egyptian Workers," Working Papers 474, Economic Research Forum, revised Mar 2009.
    7. D. Verhaest & E. Omey, 2004. "What determines measured overeducation?," Working Papers of Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Belgium 04/216, Ghent University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.
    8. Iñaki Iriondo & Teodosio Pérez-Amaral, 2013. "The Effect of Educational Mismatch on Wages Using European Panel Data," Working Papers 700, Queen Mary University of London, School of Economics and Finance.
    9. Shujaat Farooq, 2015. "Job Mismatches in Pakistan: Is there Some Wage Penalty to Graduates?," The Pakistan Development Review, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, vol. 54(2), pages 147-164.
    10. Iñaki Iriondo & Teodosio Pérez-Amaral, 2013. "The Effect of Educational Mismatch on Wages Using European Panel Data," Working Papers 700, Queen Mary University of London, School of Economics and Finance.
    11. Kampelmann, Stephan & Rycx, François, 2012. "The impact of educational mismatch on firm productivity: Evidence from linked panel data," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 918-931.
    12. Altorjai, Szilvia, 2013. "Over-qualification of immigrants in the UK," ISER Working Paper Series 2013-11, Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    13. Stephen Rubb, 2014. "Overeducation and earnings within an occupation: controlling for occupational heterogeneity of nurses," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(3), pages 257-269, June.
    14. McGuinness, Seamus & Bennett, Jessica, 2007. "Overeducation in the graduate labour market: A quantile regression approach," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(5), pages 521-531, October.
    15. Séamus McGuinness, 2006. "Overeducation in the Labour Market," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(3), pages 387-418, July.
    16. V. Jacobs & F. Rycx & M. Volral, 2022. "Wage Effects of Educational Mismatch According to Workers’ Origin: The Role of Demographics and Firm Characteristics," De Economist, Springer, vol. 170(4), pages 459-501, November.
    17. 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.
    18. Kiersztyn, Anna, 2013. "Stuck in a mismatch? The persistence of overeducation during twenty years of the post-communist transition in Poland," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 78-91.
    19. Chiswick, Barry R. & Miller, Paul W., 2007. "The International Transferability of Immigrants’ Human Capital Skills," IZA Discussion Papers 2670, IZA Network @ LISER.
    20. Christian K. Darko & Kennedy K. Abrokwa, 2020. "Do you really need it? Educational mismatch and earnings in Ghana," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(4), pages 1365-1392, November.
    21. Kedir, Abbi & Kyrizi, Andri & Martínez Mora, Francisco,, 2012. "Signalling and Productivity Effects of Overeducation: Is It Really a Waste of Resources?," Working Papers 2072/203170, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Department of Economics.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education
    • J3 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs
    • J7 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:manchs:v:72:y:2004:i:4:p:535-559. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/semanuk.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.