Job Mismatch: Does degrees still pay!!!

At the time when unemployment is burning Kashmir and jobs are scarce, mismatch between workers’ competences and what is required by their job are widespread in the state. A study conducted by Syed Ashiq for The Kashmir Standard reveals mismatch of education and jobs.

Here is a new set of official facts and figures that can evoke the contentious debate on whether degree still pays.

At the time when unemployment is burning Kashmir and jobs are scarce, mismatch between workers’ competences and what is required by their job are widespread in the state.

The modern day labor market is complex and suffers from numerous imperfections including matching frictions. These imperfections generate several types of imbalances which includes qualification mismatches.

Job mismatch arises out of how educa­tion and training is actually used in the labour market, in particular the match between what people study and the jobs they get. This match is pretty poor in most occupational groups with the exception of the trade. Over qualification arises when a worker has more qualification than re­quired by his/her job. Under qualification arises when a worker possess less quali­fication than required by his/her job.

‘The mismatch between the educa­tional qualifications held by a worker and those required by his/her job is far the steadiest concept of mismatch, mainly because data on workers’ qualifications are more easily available than data on workers’ skills,‘says Syed Altaf Andarbi, Assistant Labor Commissioner Anantnag.

It is reported that over qualification has received significantly more attention than under qualification, because of fears that it may have been caused by the increased supply of university and college graduates over past decade.

‘There is extensive evidence that the occurrence of over-qualification varies sig­nificantly by socio-demographic charac­teristics such as age, location and gender, ‘says Altaf Andrabi

The department of labor and employ­ment in its report for the year 2011 suggests that in the twin districts of Pulwama and Shopianas many as one of four workers’ could be over-qualified and many as one in three could be under-qualified for their job,The meta analysis of the department of labor and employment suggests that over 25% of workers in the twin districts are over qualified, 15% are in jobs which do not make use of knowledge they posses.

There is also extensive indication that youth are more likely to be over qualified than their older counterparts and that ru­ral are more likely to be over-qualified than urban workers’

Imran Ahmed, 25, is from Narbal, Pul­wama. He is selling flowers at Awantipora because he couldn’t find a job despite earning an economics degree. ‘The job market is not good for youth. This degree is useless. You need masters, and then they ask for five years’ experience before you can work even in a private company.’

‘Several explanations can be put forward to support the finding that youth are more likely to be over-qualified , based on their lack of experience, oron the fact that their skills are less likely to be apparent to pro­spective employers, ‘ says Abdul Waheed, section officer at the department of Labor.

There are incidences of that rural and women are more likely to be over-qualified than urban workers. Reyaz Ahmed, a resident of Parigam, Pulwama who holds an M.Phil. degree in Geography was forced to apply for accountant job at civil secre­tariat to support his family because he couldn’t find a matching job. At 42, Reyaz Ahmed says, ‘Though I had no prior knowl­edge of the accounting but i did not have any other option. People hailing from rural areas have difficulties in finding a job’

‘The differences across rural and urban divide are because of many factors includ­ing discrimination, lack of language skills and quality of qualifications obtained in villages. Women with children are more likely to be over-qualified because of con­straints in job choice imposed by child rearing, ‘says Altaf Andrabi.

The main consequence of being mismatched at work is that they are being paid less and asked to something which is far from their understanding and skills.

What is being done to counter this mis­match?

‘You cannot solve in few months the phenomenon of qualification mismatch that has persisted for last so many years and has been growing, ‘said the labor Com­missioner.

As education is one of the thrust areas of the government and focus is almost exclusively upon increasing the supply of more highly qualified graduates. Given the extent of over-qualification and skills under-utilization, more effort should be made by policy makers to design and implement policies which increase this demand