Higher Education as a Heterogeneous Good: Vertical Education-Job Mismatch among Graduates
Higher Education as a Heterogeneous Good: Vertical Education-Job Mismatch among Graduates

Summary/Abstract: The article aims to explore the social embeddedness of the labour market misbalances for highly educated people, using Bulgaria as a case study. It argues that the labour market misbalances for highly educated people mirror structural problems in the economy and the educational system. These misbalances represent a way for fighting against unemployment, but this comes at a certain “price”. The adopted theoretical approach to graduate employability highlights its two sides, the individual’s and the socio-structural aspects. The analysis is based on data from the Bulgarian Universities Ranking System and the National Social Security Institute and uses descriptive statistics and multilevel modelling. The study reveals that the level of vertical education-job mismatch depends on profiles of higher education institutions and professional fields. It also differs significantly by gender, year of graduation and educational degree. The article shows that under conditions of its massification and diversification, higher education increasingly functions as a positional and heterogeneous good.

• Details
• Contents