“I Have a Job, But . . .”: A Review of Underemployment

Abstract

This article reviews the underemployment literature, providing a comprehensive integrative overview of underemployment research. Underemployment, which occurs when a worker is employed in a job that is inferior by some standard, is linked to a broad range of negative outcomes for employees. This article builds on Feldman’s 1996 model of underemployment and identifies relevant theoretical perspectives and dimensions of underemployment, as well as reviewing the empirical research on the relationships between underemployment’s antecedents and outcomes. Suggestions for future research are offered, with particular attention on career implications, the effects of underemployment on an employee’s identity, and the importance of “choice” for underemployed employees. Finally, recommendations for improving the methodological rigor of underemployment research are provided.

The mental health consequences of the economic crisis in Europe among the employed, the unemployed, and the non-employed

“…When part-time work and selfemployment are strategies to enhance the balance between work and care responsibilities, they may actually improve mental health, especially among women (Jamal, 1997;Parslow et al, 2004). Despite these empirical findings, evidence for the negative mental health effects of nonstandard jobs is still scarce and inconclusive (Benach & Muntaner, 2007;Keuskamp, Ziersch, Baum, & LaMontagne, 2013;McKee-Ryan & Harvey, 2011).…”

Credential disconnection: a Marxist analysis of college graduate underemployment

“…Working part-time when seeking full-time employment, earning a minimum wage with advanced training and experience, or exhibiting a clear mismatch between one's training and one's occupation, all of these factors are objectively based. But the subjective character of underemployment complicates the picture (McKee-Ryan & Harvey, 2011). A noted scholar in the field of underemployment studies, David Livingstone (2004) defines subjective underemployment with the following criteria: 'perception of overqualification for current job; unfilled desire to use work skills that are unrecognized in present job; and a sense of entitlement to a better job' (p. 220).…”

End of journey, end of story? A longitudinal study of involuntary work transitions among laid-off workers

“…Underemployment is not a problem for employees only; the employer is affected too because underemployment is negatively related to job satisfaction (McKee-Ryan & Harvey, 2011), job involvement (Burke, 1997) and positively related to work alienation (Lee, 2005). Furthermore, looking at work transitions following job loss, re-employment is not the end of the story, as people are faced with new career junctures, and as underemployment in some cases is positively related to further job search efforts (McKee-Ryan & Harvey, 2011). Overqualified workers, for example, are showed to be more active in job searches (Wald, 2005).…”