TY - JOUR
T1 - How well can we measure graduate over-education and its effects?
AU - Battu, H.
AU - Belfield, C. R.
AU - Sloane, P. J.
PY - 2000/1
Y1 - 2000/1
N2 - Using data from two cohorts of graduates, this article examines three aspects of over-education. First, using three new measures, we present an estimate of graduate over-education in the UK. We find that the scale of over-education varies with measurement techniques, with weak correlations between the three measures. Second, across the three measures we estimate the effects of over-education on earnings and job satisfaction. The effects of over-education on earnings and job satisfaction are similar, not withstanding the measures identifying different individuals as being over-educated. One finding is that the effects of being over-educated are more significant for female graduates than male, although it is ambigu ous which gender is more prone to over-education. Third, we examine another source of ambiguity regarding over education, namely that firms upgrade the tasks they allocate to their employees who appear to be over-educated. We find that, for graduates, job quality for the over-educated is not converging to that of the appropriately educated.
AB - Using data from two cohorts of graduates, this article examines three aspects of over-education. First, using three new measures, we present an estimate of graduate over-education in the UK. We find that the scale of over-education varies with measurement techniques, with weak correlations between the three measures. Second, across the three measures we estimate the effects of over-education on earnings and job satisfaction. The effects of over-education on earnings and job satisfaction are similar, not withstanding the measures identifying different individuals as being over-educated. One finding is that the effects of being over-educated are more significant for female graduates than male, although it is ambigu ous which gender is more prone to over-education. Third, we examine another source of ambiguity regarding over education, namely that firms upgrade the tasks they allocate to their employees who appear to be over-educated. We find that, for graduates, job quality for the over-educated is not converging to that of the appropriately educated.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84939421401&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/002795010017100107
DO - 10.1177/002795010017100107
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84939421401
SN - 0027-9501
VL - 171
SP - 82
EP - 93
JO - National Institute Economic Review
JF - National Institute Economic Review
IS - 1
ER -