The Mismatched Worker

In this provocative new study, Arne L. Kalleberg examines how the now-common expectation that a career should at once provide fulfillment, challenge, meaning, and financial success is creating a growing number of “mismatched” workers—workers who fit poorly with their employers or careers.

Each chapter frames a different type of mismatch and explores how each mismatch affects workers and their families. In addition to providing new insights into contemporary labor, The Mismatched Worker also suggests social strategies that might alleviate worker dissatisfaction while making organizations more efficient.

In this provocative new study, Arne L. Kalleberg examines how the now-common expectation that a career should at once provide fulfillment, challenge, meaning, and financial success is creating a growing number of “mismatched” workers—workers who fit poorly with their employers or careers.

Arne L Kalleberg is the Kenan Distinguished Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, at the University of North Carolina. His books include Fighting for Time: Shifting Boundaries of Work and Social Life, Organizations in America: Analyzing Their Structures and Human Resource Practices, and Work and Industry: Structures, Markets and Processes.