The Impact of Underemployment on Individual and Team Performance

The issue of underemployment is one of increasing concern for countries across the globe. For example, in the USA estimates have put the number of underemployed as high as 20.3%, while in Europe the number of overqualified workers (just one dimension of underemployment) has been estimated at 21.5% (Groot & Maassen van den Brink, 2000). Unfortunately, given the current global economic crisis, this situation can only be expected to worsen in the near future. The international labor pool is becoming more educated and qualified (Peiro, Agut, & Grau, 2010) while organizations worldwide are seeking the minimum effective level of human capitol in an effort to cut costs. As such fewer jobs demandin…