Occupational mismatch and health status among foreign born workers in Sweden

Background: Occupational mismatch occurs when there is a discrepancy between an individual’s education and their occupational class, and has been found to be associated with poor health outcomes and mortality. Immigrants may be more vulnerable to occupational mismatch due to adverse post-migration factors such as poor labor market integration and difficulty authenticating education credentials. This study aims to investigate associations between occupational mismatch and poor health among foreign born workers in Sweden. 

Methods: Data were obtained from the Swedish Level of Living Survey for Foreign Born Persons and their Children. Two measures of occupational mismatch were utilized: 1) a subjective self-report assessment of the respondent’s use of education in their current occupation and 2) an objective measurement combining education level and occupational class.  Logistic regression models, adjusted for socio-demographic and migration related factors, were used to assess associations between occupational mismatch and risk for poor self-rated health and mental distress among employed individuals (n=1,889).

Results: Over-education (OR=2.28, CI: 1.39-3.74) and under-education (OR=2.07, CI: 1.13-3.78) were associated with poor self-rated health.  Over-education (OR=1.76, CI: 1.03-3.02) was also associated with mental distress. The subjective measure was not associated with either health outcome.

Conclusions: Objective measures of occupational mismatch may better capture associations with health than subjective ones among foreign born workers. Labor market integration policies and employment services which address occupational mismatch among immigrants may also be health promoting.