The incidence and consequences of skill mismatch among higher education graduates in Saudi Arabia

Abstract EN

Abstract.

Skill mismatch has been reported to be a pervasive problem in many countries, in which increasing numbers of individuals are working in jobs that do not require the skills they have.

In addition to the potential waste and misallocation of valuable human capital, skill mismatch has been found to lead to negative consequences for the overskilled individuals, their organisations, and the larger economy.

This paper examines the incidence and consequences of skill mismatch on job and career attitudes among a sample of 438 higher education graduates in Saudi Arabia, where relatively little is known about this phenomenon and its correlates.

The results provide support for the assumption that skill mismatch is prevalent in Saudi Arabia, whereby many graduates in the study reported being overskilled for their jobs which do not require or fully utilise their acquired skills, abilities, and experiences.

Furthermore, consistent with expectations, the results of the hierarchical linear regressions suggest that overskilling, as a state of person–job misfit, is negatively related to job satisfaction, affective commitment, and career satisfaction; and positively related to turnover cognitions and careerism, even after controlling for potential confounders.

The paper concludes with a discussion of the study implications for theory and practice.