Perceived Overqualification and Dimensions of Job Satisfaction: A Longitudinal Analysis

Abstract

The present study is an investigation of the effects of perceived overqualification on dimensions of job satisfaction. The data for this study came from a two-wave panel study of members of a midwestern American Postal Workers Union local. Job satisfaction was operationalized with 4 subscales from the Job Descriptive Index (P. Smith, L. Kendall, & C. Hulin, 1969). The following three hypotheses were tested: (a) Perceived overqualification will be negatively related to facets of job satisfaction; (b) there is stability in the test-retest correlations of facets of job satisfaction; and (c) the effects of perceived overqualification on facets of job satisfaction will not change from Time 1 to Time 2 because of adaptation. The cross-sectional results supported the hypotheses and suggested that perceived overqualification has a negative effect on job satisfaction. However, the relationships varied by dimension of perceived overqualification and dimension of job satisfaction. Future researchers of overqualification and dimensions of job satisfaction should consider relative deprivation as a source of work-related deprivations.

The Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision Volume 3, Number 1

“…Phillips and Hays (1978) found that among mental health workers who did not believe they were adequately compensated, those who possessed the minimum required level of training were as satisfied as workers with advanced training. Johnson and Johnson (2000) corroborated this with their finding that perceived over-qualification has a negative effect on job satisfaction. Clemons (1988) found that although there was a positive relationship between education level and compensation satisfaction, there was no significant relationship between education level and general job satisfaction.…”

Job satisfaction in Italy: individual characteristics and social relations

“…Bettereducated workers have access to better job positions, such that education affects utility, indirectly raising productivity and career prospects (Bryson et al 2004;Clark 1997;. Association between higher levels of education and job satisfaction is found in one strand of the literature (Battu et al 1999;Jones Johnson and Johnson, 2000;Vila and García-Mora 2005).…”

“…Others (Belcastro and Koeske 1996;Billingsley and Cross 1992;Cramer 1993;Jones Johnson and Johnson 2000;Larwood 1984;Loscocco 1990;Saal and Knight 1988) reach the conclusion that job satisfaction increases with age.…”

Are Immigrants’ Pay and Benefits Satisfaction Different than Canadian-born?

“…These theories focus on a worker's level of perceived inputs and outcomes (Lawler III, 1971). The premise of the discrepancy model is that if the actual amount received is less than expected, then pay satisfaction is likely to be lower (Jones-Johnson and Johnson, 2000;Rice, Phillips and McFarlin, 1990). Pay satisfaction is deter-mined by the perceived equity (Adams, 1963) and the theory states that if an individual's perception of what s/he should be paid when compared with a comparator is lower than actual earnings received, pay satisfaction will be lower.…”