The antecedents and consequences of underemployment among expatriates
研究外派经理在海外任职中就业不足的前因（如职位层级、任务明确性）和后果（如工作态度、心理健康下降），发现许多人同时存在过度胜任和不足胜任。
While most previous research has studied underemployment among laid-off workers or new college graduates in domestic settings, this study investigates underemployment among managers in overseas assignments. Using data from 268 expatriates from six Fortune 500 multinational firms, the results here suggest that several important job- and organizational-level factors may contribute to underemployment among expatriates: hierarchical job level, assignment tenure, the extent to which expatriates have specific projects to complete, the degree of free choice in the decision to go overseas, the amount of on-site mentoring, and the strategic importance of the overseas site. In contrast to previous research, then, the present study suggests that many expatriates are overqualified, as well as underqualified, for their overseas assignments. Moreover, this underemployment is negatively related to expatriates' job attitudes, general mental health, and self-reported job performance. In addition, mediated regression analyses revealed that underemployment is an important intervening link between antecedent and outcome variables. The implications of the results for future theory development, empirical research, and management practice on underemployment are discussed as well. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.