Perceived Overqualification and Employee Outcomes
Summary
Perceived overqualification arises when employees believe their skills, experience and qualifications exceed the requirements of their current role. This mismatch between personal resources and job demands can shape a range of employee outcomes, spanning performance, well-being and behavioural responses. Research has shown that overqualified employees may experience relative deprivation and emotional strain, which can reduce job satisfaction and heighten turnover intentions. Conversely, surplus skills can also drive enhanced task mastery, creative performance and deviant innovation when supported by favourable organisational contexts. Much depends on mediating mechanisms such as job crafting, person–job fit and organisational identification, as well as moderating factors including employment contract type, perceived organisational support and supervisory relationships. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for global organisations seeking to harness talent effectively, improve retention and stimulate innovation.
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Perceived Overqualification and Employee Outcomes publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in perceived overqualification and employee outcomes across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Perceived overqualification: A subjective assessment that one’s qualifications, skills or experience exceed the requirements of the current job.
Job crafting: Self-initiated adjustments made by employees to shape the content and boundaries of their work tasks and interactions.
Person–job fit: The alignment between an individual’s abilities and the demands of a specific role, influencing satisfaction and performance.
Creative self-efficacy: An individual’s belief in their capability to generate novel and useful ideas within the workplace.
References
- Effect of perceived overqualification on work performance: Influence of moderator and mediator. Asia Pacific Management Review (2023).
- Reacting to Perceived Overqualification: Uniting Strain-Based and Self-Regulatory Adjustment Reactions and the Moderating Role of Formal Work Arrangements. Journal of Business and Psychology (2023).
- Perceived overqualification and deviant innovation behavior: The roles of creative self-efficacy and perceived organizational support. Frontiers in Psychology (2023).
- The Effect of Perceived Over-Qualification on Turnover Intention From a Cognition Perspective. Frontiers in Psychology (2021).
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