Overqualification

I was pleased to discover that some of my recent research on overqualification was mentioned in a recent New York Times blog post. This was a follow-up to a front page article in the New York Times itself. I was oh-so-close to being quoted there, but not quite. The reporter, Michael Luo and I talked about these issues for quite some time and I was impressed by the questions he asked about overqualification, and his interest in hearing what the research had to say.

I've been doing research on overqualification for about a decade now, but it seems that this issue is really getting a lot of attention for the first time, both in academic research, and in the popular press. Not surprising, I guess, given the current labor economy situation. I'm currently working on a book on underemployment (a related term, which also includes situations such as involuntary part-time work) with Professor Daniel Feldman from the University of Georgia, who knows as much about these issues as anyone out there. The volume will feature chapters by scholars in psychology, business, sociology, and economics from all over the United States and Canada, as well as Spain and Australia. It seems like the right time for the book (which will perhaps be out sometime in 2011) and we're very excited about it.

Finally, here's the only good overqualification cartoon I've seen on the Internet. It's from one of my all-time favorite sites - Toothpaste for Dinner.