The Mismatched Worker

In this timely & provocative book, Arne Kalleberg brings together a host of research findings on mismatches between workers and their jobs. Mismatches occur when people are under- or over-qualified for jobs, when people can't get to good jobs because of where they live, when workers must work shorter or longer hours than they would like, when workers don't earn enough for a living wage, and when the demands of work disrupt family life. For each of these sources, Kalleberg marshalls evidence on trends in the extent of the mismatch over the past several decades and describes its consequences for workers and their families. Each chapter concludes with policy recommendations for reducing or eliminating the mismatch. A particularly noteworthy feature of Kalleberg's analysis is his extensive use of cross-national comparisons. He argues that many other nations, such as Sweden and Germany, have crafted public policies that either prevent the most serious mismatches or offer mechanisms to reduce their impact. Kalleberg ends the book with a call for social solutions to the problems he's identified, arguing that individuals and families cannot solve them on their own. Government and business will have to cooperate on new social and economic policies to reverse the dire trends portrayed in this book.