This study explores the determinants of job mismatch referring to the major fields among college
graduates in Korea and Japan. Especially, we focus on the effects of gender, educational
qualifications, and associations between two variables, and we also pay attention to differences
between both countries with regard to the incidences of job mismatch.
As a result, we do not find that female graduates are more likely to be employed in a
non-matching job. Major field acquired is one of the most powerful and important determinants of
job mismatch. If the major of a graduate is humanities & arts, probability of having a job mismatch
are very higher than the other majors. And the relationship between gender and major fields also
strongly affect on job mismatch. Gender differentiation mainly is found from these associations in
both countries. Female graduates are more likely than male to choice humanities & arts as compared
to social science or engineering fields, and female graduates with humanities & arts show the highest
probability of having a job mismatch.
With related to differences between two countries, we find that Korean female graduates with
science & engineering are more likely to have a job mismatch such as them with humanities & arts,
contrary to Japanese cases. It can be partly explained that Korean recruit managers of companies in
manufacturing, technical, engineering fields still prefer strongly to male applicants for technician and
engineer.