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Drivers of skill mismatch among Italian graduates: the role of personality traits

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  • Piero Esposito
  • Sergio Scicchitano

Abstract

It is now well accepted that human capital is a heterogeneous aggregate and that noncognitive skills are at least as relevant as cognitive abilities. In spite of this growing interest in the labour market consequences of personality traits, the relationship between these and educational and skill mismatch is scant. In this paper, we investigate the impact of the five main personality traits (Big 5) on educational and skill mismatch in Italian graduates. To this aim, we use the 2018 wave of the INAPP-PLUS survey, which contains information on skill mismatch, on the Big 5 personality traits, and on a large number of other individual and job-specific characteristics. The empirical analysis takes into account both demand and supply variables mediating the effect of personality on skill mismatch and controls for non-random selection into employment and tertiary education. We find that some personality traits reduce the probability of overeducation, suggesting complementarity between cognitive and noncognitive skills. In addition, we find a positive effect of conscientiousness on both overeducation and overqualification. The evidence regarding job satisfaction suggests that individuals with high scores for conscientiousness voluntarily decide to be mismatched when this entails higher satisfaction in other dimensions of the job.

Suggested Citation

  • Piero Esposito & Sergio Scicchitano, 2023. "Drivers of skill mismatch among Italian graduates: the role of personality traits," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(40), pages 4642-4663, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:applec:v:55:y:2023:i:40:p:4642-4663
    DOI: 10.1080/00036846.2022.2130151
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Mauro Caselli & Andrea Fracasso & Arianna Marcolin & Sergio Scicchitano, 2023. "Technological Innovations and Workers’ Job Insecurity: The Moderating Role of Firm Strategies," CESifo Working Paper Series 10673, CESifo.
    2. Young, Aiden & Sima, Herbert & Luo, Na & Wu, Sihong & Gong, Yu & Qian, Xiaoyan, 2024. "Ugly produce and food waste management: An analysis based on a social cognitive perspective," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    3. Mauro Caselli & Andrea Fracasso & Arianna Marcolin & Sergio Scicchitano, 2025. "Technological innovations and workers’ job insecurity: the moderating role of human resource strategies," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 52(1), pages 153-176, March.
    4. Roshnie Doon & Sergio Scicchitano, 2025. "The effects of overeducation on wage distribution in Trinidad and Tobago: an unconditional quantile regression analysis," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 15(1), pages 163-195, March.
    5. Doon, Roshnie & Scicchitano, Sergio, 2024. "The Returns to Education and the Wage Effect from Overeducation in Trinidad and Tobago: A Pseudo-Panel Approach," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1431, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    6. Esposito, Piero & Mendolia, Silvia & Scicchitano, Sergio & Tealdi, Cristina, 2024. "Working from Home and Job Satisfaction: The Role of Gender and Personality Traits," IZA Discussion Papers 16751, IZA Network @ LISER.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C25 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Discrete Regression and Qualitative Choice Models; Discrete Regressors; Proportions; Probabilities
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J82 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Labor Force Composition

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