Perceived overqualification under multi-cultural context: ethnic consideration, review, and research agenda

Employee overqualification has become a prevalent issue worldwide and academic research on its effects has been proliferated. Considering the growing attention on employee overqualification and recognizing the surge of fruitful outcomes of perceived overqualification research in literature, we highlight the focus on ethnic minorities to understand perceived overqualification and propose a research agenda. First, we suggest that it remains unstudied and can be meaningful to link perceived overqualification with ethnic differences and management. Second, considering bamboo ceiling phenomenon and using Asian-Australians as an illustration, we clarify how perceived overqualification has been manifested and influence minority groups within cross-cultural context and discuss why it is critical to address this issue. Third, we conclude by presenting directions and possible research agendas that will advance the understanding of employee perceived overqualification under cross-cultural context. Our paper drives perceived overqualification literature forward and is expected to inform organizational scholars and practitioners in terms of how to manage employee perceived overqualification in multicultural and multiethnic contexts.