The Measurement of Overeducation and Undereducation: Self-Report vs. Job Analyst Method

This paper investigates the criterium validity of two different methods to determine the required educational level of an occupation. The selfreport method consists of asking employees directly what the required level of education for the job is. On the other hand, in the job-analyst method the determining of the required level of education for a particular job takes place by experts. Our analysis shows that, in essence, both methods measure the same concept (number of years of required education). However, they differ significantly with regard to the standard points, i.e. the points on the scale at which there is overeducation and undereducation. The analysis shows that the job-analyst method systematically overestimates the level of overeducation. There are no indications that the level of overeducation is underestimated in the self-report method.