In this provocative new study, Arne L. Kalleberg examines how the now-common expectation that a career should at once provide fulfillment, challenge, meaning, and financial success is creating a growing number of “mismatched” workers--workers who fit poorly with their employers or careers. Each chapter frames a different type of mismatch and explores how each mismatch affects workers and their families. In addition to providing new insights into contemporary labor, The Mismatched Worker also suggests social strategies that might alleviate worker dissatisfaction while making organizations more efficient.

Reviews research on levels and trends in the skills workers possess, the skills employers demand, and the evidence for skill shortage. Finds that the skills of American workers are not as weak nor are job requirements changing as rapidly as often claimed. Highlights the need for reliable and representative data on workforce competencies and skill requirements.

This volume contains original research articles which analyze the linkages between education and skills and the causes and consequences of different types of skill mismatch. The volume yields new insights regarding overeducation, underskilling, graduate jobs, wages returns to skills, aggregate productivity, job complexity and skill development.

The Skills Toward Employment and Productivity (STEP) Survey is an initiative of the World Bank in cooperation with other development partners and nongovernmental agencies and carried out in more than 14 countries globally. In Ghana, the first phase of the survey focusing on adults in urban communities was carried out in cooperation with the University of Ghana’s Institute of Statistical, Social, and Economic Research (ISSER), the Ministry of Education, the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET), and the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).

The economic boom of the 1990s veiled a grim reality: in addition to the growing gap between rich and poor, the gap between good and bad quality jobs was also expanding. The postwar prosperity of the mid-twentieth century had enabled millions of American workers to join the middle class, but as author Arne L. Kalleberg shows, by the 1970s this upward movement had slowed, in part due to the steady disappearance of secure, well-paying industrial jobs. Ever since, precarious employment has been on the rise—paying low wages, offering few benefits, and with virtually no long-term security. Today, the polarization between workers with higher skill levels and those with low skills and low wages is more entrenched than ever. Good Jobs, Bad Jobs traces this trend to large-scale transformations in the American labor market and the changing demographics of low-wage workers. Kalleberg draws on nearly four decades of survey data, as well as his own research, to evaluate trends in U.S. job quality and suggest ways to improve American labor market practices and social policies. Good Jobs, Bad Jobs provides an insightful analysis of how and why precarious employment is gaining ground in the labor market and the role these developments have played in the decline of the middle class. Kalleberg shows that by the 1970s, government deregulation, global competition, and the rise of the service sector gained traction, while institutional protections for workers—such as unions and minimum-wage legislation—weakened. Together, these forces marked the end of postwar security for American workers. The composition of the labor force also changed significantly; the number of dual-earner families increased, as did the share of the workforce comprised of women, non-white, and immigrant workers. Of these groups, blacks, Latinos, and immigrants remain concentrated in the most precarious and low-quality jobs, with educational attainment being the leading indicator of who will earn the highest wages and experience the most job security and highest levels of autonomy and control over their jobs and schedules. Kalleberg demonstrates, however, that building a better safety net—increasing government responsibility for worker health care and retirement, as well as strengthening unions—can go a long way toward redressing the effects of today’s volatile labor market. There is every reason to expect that the growth of precarious jobs—which already make up a significant share of the American job market—will continue. Good Jobs, Bad Jobs deftly shows that the decline in U.S. job quality is not the result of fluctuations in the business cycle, but rather the result of economic restructuring and the disappearance of institutional protections for workers. Only government, employers and labor working together on long-term strategies—including an expanded safety net, strengthened legal protections, and better training opportunities—can help reverse this trend. A Volume in the American Sociological Association’s Rose Series in Sociology.

In Indonesia, the past two decades have been a time of great progress but also massive transformations and abrupt setbacks. In this context, this book reviews the main characteristics of - and trends in - demand for skills in Indonesia. It seeks to document the existence of a possible skills mismatch between employer demands and the available supply, the contribution of the education and training sector to this mismatch, and possible measures to improve the education and training system's responsiveness to what the labor market and the economy need. In today's job market in Indonesia, there appears to be a premium on theoretical and practical knowledge of the job. While skills do not appear to be yet among the most important constraints for the economy, the situation is different for larger more export-oriented manufacturing firms. Subjective assessments of difficulties of matching needs with available skills provide evidence that skills are becoming an issue overall in Indonesia. The widest gaps across professional profiles are for English and computer skills followed by thinking and behavioral skills. Theoretical and practical knowledge of the job are also considered to be weak. There are important gaps in creativity, computing and some technical skills for young workers. English remains the largest gap. Five general skill related priorities can be highlighted for Indonesia. First, the country needs to improve skill measurement to get a fuller understanding of skill needs and gaps. Second, it is urgent for Indonesia to address the still unsatisfactory quality and relevance of its formal education, including higher education. Third, the country needs to set-up multiple pathways for skill development. Fourth, the country needs to develop an integrated approach to tackle skill development for youth. Fifth, Indonesia should also tackle labor market constraints which affect the skill matching process.