Stuck in a mismatch? The persistence of overeducation during twenty years of the post-communist transition in Poland

This paper examines long-term changes in the persistence of overeducation among individual workers, focusing on the relationship between the rate of those changes and the general economic situation. All analyses are based on data from the Polish Panel Survey (POLPAN) conducted throughout the post-communist transition period, 1988-2008. The results suggest that being in a job with too low educational requirements is stable through time and raises the probability of experiencing the same situation five years later. The incidence of overeducation increased in the studied period, most rapidly during recession. The youngest cohorts, workers aged 26-35 in 2008, faced a higher risk of persistent overqualification than other cohorts. These findings are consistent with Thurow's job competition theory, as well as Sattinger's job assignment model. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.