BITH 70: Industrial Psychology

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Underemployment and Its Upshot to the Performance of the

Employees at Work
Aurellano, Lovely P., Villareal, Trishia Mae S., Lacostales, Karen B., Suriaga, Arafel Chriss D.,
Ambat, Justine Karl D., and Salvador, Nicky II C.
Department of Industrial Engineering and Technology, Cavite State University, Indang, Cavite, Philippines
4122

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1. Background and Its Setting
This chapter includes the introduction, problem statement, objectives of the study,
conceptual framework, scope, limitation and delimitation of the study, significance of the study
and definition of terms.
1.1 Introduction
A suitable job for an individual is somewhat hard to find. People work to support the needs
of their families, as a result, they intend to apply or work in whatever job is available even
though this job is not aligned with what they have finished at school. This scenario results to
underemployment.
The concept of underemployment refers to types of employments that are inadequate for
the workers (Maddocks, 2012). People are considered underemployed when they are working at
a job they are overqualified for, working part-time when they would prefer full-time work, or
working at a low-wage job when they could, if jobs were available, be working more hours (Doyle,
2010). The effect of underemployment upon job performance has not been studied previously.
On one hand, it could be argued that when individuals are overqualified for their jobs that their
level of job performance would be quite high; in other words, their assignments would be easy
given their high skill levels. On the other hand, it could be argued that when individuals are
overqualified, they will have decreased motivation to perform their job duties conscientiously
(John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 2000). For example, a research suggests that underemployed workers
often believe that working hard in inferior jobs is pointless (Borgen, 1988).
Job performance is a commonly used, yet poorly defined concept in industrial and
organizational psychology, the branch of psychology that deals with the workplace. It is also part
of Human Resources Management. It most commonly refers to whether a person performs their
job well. Despite the confusion over how it should be exactly defined, performance is an
extremely important criterion that relates to organizational outcomes and success. Among the
most commonly accepted theories of job performance comes from the work of John P. Campbell
and colleagues. Coming from a psychological perspective. Campbell describes job performance
as an individual level variable. That is, performance is something a single person does. This
differentiates it from more encompassing constructs such as organizational performance or
national performance which are higher level variables. It should be noted that, better job
performance is dependent on the goal and work targets that each employee prepares before he
enters and reports for work. Individuals differ on how they respond to the condition of work.
While some employees maybe highly satisfied with the particular job, other employees may find
same conditions extremely dissatisfying. Moreover, monitoring job satisfaction seems very
important both to behavioural scientist and human resource managers. The effect of many
human resource strategies is examined with respect to their impact job satisfaction. And positive
job attitudes are generally viewed as an important indication of how well things are going. (DJ.
Cherrington, 1995).

1.2 Problem Statement

Generally, the study aims to know the upshot of underemployment to the work
performance of the employees at work.
Specifically, the study aims to answer the question:
1. How does being underemployed affects the employees work performance in terms of:
a.
Productivity
b.
Job Attitude
1.3 Objectives of the Study
In general, the study aims to determine the upshot of underemployment to the work
performance of the employees at work.
The study specifically aims to:
1. Determine if being underemployed affects the employees productivity and job attitude
towards work.
1.4 Conceptual Framework
The illustration below shows how the study will be conducted.

Figure 1. The illustration shows the flow of the study. This also shows how being
underemployed affects the performance of the employees at work, whereas the upshot of
underemployment to the work performance of the employees in terms of productivity and job
attitude will be identified.
1.5 Scope, Limitations, Delimitations
This study focuses on underemployment and its upshot to the performance of the
employees at work.
This study includes random underemployed workers. These workers will be determined as
underemployed if they are working in a position which is not aligned to their educational
attainment.
It will be conducted from February 2016 to March 2016.

1.6 Significance of the Study

This study will be conducted to determine the upshot of underemployment to the
performance of the employees at work. The following group of people will be benefited by the
results of the study:
Underemployed workers. This study will benefit the underemployed workers. For them
to know their importance in a company as well as learning some notions and having knowledge
on improving their work performance.
Co-workers. This study will also be beneficial to the co-workers in terms of being aware
on the behavior and the capabilities of his fellow worker who are underemployed.
Employers. This is to help them acquire the correct knowledge on having the best
employees and giving them the accurate job that suits their abilities and skills.
Researchers. This study will help the researchers to fulfill the requirements in BITH 70:
Industrial Psychology.
Cavite State University. The study will be used as an additional reference for future
researchers.
Future Researchers. This study will serve as a reference for the future studies.
1.7 Definition of Terms
The following key terms are defined according to its purpose and significance in the study.
Underemployment. The factor that will be evaluated in the study to determine its effects
on the performance of the employees at work. It is also the independent variable in the study.
Employees. The proponents of the study that will serve as a primary source of data
regarding the upshot of underemployment to the work performance of the employees.
Work Performance. It is the dependent variable in the study and the variable that will be
observed in the study.
Job Attitude. One of the two factors that will be observed to determine the upshot of
underemployment to the performance of the employees at work. It refers to the way an
employee think and feel about his/her job.
Productivity. The other factor that will be observed to determine the upshot of
underemployment to the performance of the employees at work. It refers to the rate at which
goods and/or services were produced or completed by an employee.
2. Review of Related Literature
This part contains literature and materials that have significant bearing on the subject
matter of this study. The information obtained from the materials were used to draw a picture
about the extent of knowledge pertaining to the subject matter at hand in relation to the
objectives of this research.
2.1 Underemployment
From the article, The Consequences of Underemployment for the Underemployed.
Underemployment is generally conceived as excess labour supply associated with employed
persons that is, as a situation where employed persons would like to work more hours at
prevailing wage rates. Using information collected by the 2001 Household, Income and Labour
Dynamics in Australia survey, this study examines the effects of underemployment on outcomes
such as income, welfare dependence and subjective well-being. Results obtained imply that,
while unemployment clearly has greater adverse consequences, underemployment is
nonetheless associated with significant detrimental effects on the outcomes examined. Negative
effects are found for both part-time employed and full-time employed workers who would prefer
to work more hours, but effects are greater for underemployed part-time workers, and are

particularly large for part-time workers who would like to work full-time. Indeed, for part-time
workers seeking full-time employment, adverse effects attributable to underemployment are, for
some outcomes, not far short of those attributable to unemployment.
According to another article from Australia which is, The Extent and Consequences of
Underemployment in Australia. Underemployment is generally conceived as excess labour
supply associated with employed persons; that is, as a situation where employed persons would
like to work more hours at prevailing wage rates. Using information collected by the 2001
Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, this study seeks to
investigate the extent of underemployment and its effects on outcomes such as income, welfare
dependence and subjective well-being. It is found that over one in six employed persons is
underemployed, corresponding to a failure to utilise 5 per cent of hours supplied by employed
persons. Underemployment is more frequently associated with part-time employment for
females, but for males is more frequently associated with full-time employment. Models
estimated of the effects of underemployment on outcomes imply that, while unemployment
clearly has greater adverse consequences, underemployment is nonetheless associated with
significant detrimental effects on the outcomes examined. Negative effects are found for both
part-time employed and full-time employed workers who would prefer to work more hours, but
effects are greater for underemployed part-time workers, and are particularly large for part-time
workers who would like to work full-time. Indeed, for part-time workers seeking full-time
employment, effects attributable to underemployment are, for some outcomes, not far short of
those attributable to unemployment.
From the book, The Human Effects of Underemployment by BH Burris. More and more
workers in the United States are unable to use their educational background on the job. Such
underemployment has been documented but not fully explored or analyzed. This paper examines
the effects of underemployment on 32 low-level clerical workers, comparing their educational
backgrounds with their attitudes and behaviors. Higher education produces increased job
dissatisfaction, higher turnover rates, reduced job involvement, impaired co-worker relations, and
more emphasis on future aspirations. However, clerical workers of all educational backgrounds
are prone to feelings of overqualification and complaints about the nature of workplace control. I
relate these findings to existing theories on underemployment.
Relying on educational expansion as a means of social and individual advancement has
begun to have diminishing returns, and perhaps counterproductive results, in the United States.
The phenomenon of overeducation /underemployment, understood as inadequate use of
education on the job, has become more pronounced in the last two decades Documenting its
intensification, however, is complicated by the fact that defining underemployment is not a
simple or straightforward procedure. As Glyde (1977:246) put it, underemployment is both
conceptually and empirically elusive.
Nevertheless, underemployment appears to be increasing. Berg (1970:59) used 1950 and
1960 census data to discover a drift of better educated people into middle level jobs.
Rumberger (1981:75), comparing 1960 and 1976 data, found that the distribution of
educational attainments shifted dramatically during this period: by 1976 less than 25 percent
of the U.S. population had low-leveled education, but nearly half had jobs requiring low-level
skills. Berg et al, (1978), using 1971 data, found that 51 percent of all college graduates and
24.8 percent of the entire U.S. labor force were underemployed. Norwood (1979), using Bureau of
labor Statistics data, found that only 45.9 percent of college graduates found professional and
technical jobs during 1968-78, compared with 73.2 percent during 1962-69. Moreover, college
graduates were increasingly entiring the labor market as low-level workers, especially in clerical
and sales positions.
From a research, The Impact of Underemployment on Individual, by Michael R. Bashshur,
Ana Hernandez and Jose Maria Peiro. One issue at the heart of concerns about underemployment
is the belief that underemployed individuals will underperform. The reasoning seems to be that

underemployed individuals will not work hard because they find their jobs pointless and
demotivating (e.g., Borgen, Amudson, & Harder, 1988) and consequently, performance will
suffer. Indeed, there is a body of empirical work showing that if we broaden our definition of
performance to include turnover work withdrawals, this assumption is correct. However, Edwards
and Shipp (2007) have recently pointed out that the effects of some types of underemployment
on performance may, in some conditions, be positive. In fact, there are several studies that show
that this too is correct (Fine & Nevo, 2008; Holtom, Lee,, & Tidd, 2002; Erdogan & Bauer, 2009;
Erdogan, Bauer, Peiro, & Truxillo, 2011). Underemployed individuals can be high performers as
well.
A report from a website, The Hidden Toll of Underemployment says: Nov. 9, 2011 The
many impacts of unemployment including social and psychological ones have long been
catalogued. But much less is known about the consequences of underemployment. Millions of
Americans at least as many as are unemployed, and perhaps more have either been forced
to take part-time work because full-time jobs are not available, or are forced to work in jobs for
which they are overqualified. We have never experienced anything like this, said Carl Van
Horn, director of the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University. It is
not something that as a society were used to dealing with. Since the recession, researchers
have begun to take more of an interest in the psychological effects of underemployment, and
what they have found is not encouraging. In the short-term, it appears that those who are
underemployed like those who are unemployed have an increased risk of depression,
increased stress, and lowered self-esteem. And there may be long-term negative effects, too. On
the psychological side, there are intriguing hints of a downward spiral that might affect
underemployed workers in their family, social, and employment relationships. In economic terms,
there is already data that show that the effects of being underemployed directly after graduating
from college can linger for more than 10 years. Unemployment is an emergency, Van Horn
said. Underemployment is a crisis. Nevertheless, the United States, unlike other countries, is
not gathering the data needed to pinpoint what the full costs of underemployment actually are.
Making it difficult to know which policies might be effective in helping those affected.
According to a research from the year 2010, The Cost of Underemployment. by Jenny
Marlar. These results are based on January and February interviews with approximately 40,000
adults in the U.S. workforce, age 18 and older. Gallup classifies respondents as "employed" if
they are employed full time or are employed part time but do not want to work full time.
Respondents are considered "underemployed" if they are employed part time but want to work
full time or are unemployed. Gallup categorizes Americans as thriving, struggling, or suffering
according to how they rate their present and future lives on a ladder scale, with steps numbered
from 0 to 10, based on the Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale. "Underemployed Americans are
almost twice as likely to have been told by a doctor or nurse that they suffer from depression."
Majorities of the unemployed (57%) and those who work part time but want to work full time
(52%) are struggling, while majorities of respondents working at their desired capacity are
thriving. This finding illustrates that in terms of well being, Americans working part time but
wanting full-time employment are more similar to the unemployed than the employed. In
addition to a more pessimistic outlook on their present and future lives, underemployed
respondents are also more likely than the employed to report experiencing negative emotions.
Nearly half (46%) of underemployed Americans said they experienced worry the day before the
surveyed, compared with 29% of the employed who said the same. The underemployed are also
more likely than the employed to report experiencing sadness, stress, and anger. Underemployed
Americans are also almost twice as likely to have been told by a doctor or nurse that they suffer
from depression (21% versus 12% employed Americans). Underemployment does not appear to
be taking as much a toll on the experience of positive emotions as it does on negative emotions.
A significant majority of all respondents -- regardless of employment status -- reported positive
emotions during the previous day. Underemployed individuals are slightly less likely than
employed respondents to experience happiness and enjoyment, with nearly six percentage point
differences in terms of happiness and enjoyment.

An article posted on a website (http://www.ecominoes.com/2014/04/the-inhumanity-ofunderemployment.html) about The Psychological Struggle of Long-Term Underemployment
discusses that there are many accounts of the psychological toll of long-term unemployment. But
little has been said about the toll of long-term UNDERemployment. Lest we forget that Gallup
pegs the underemployment rate at nearly 20%. Nearly 1 in 5 members of the American
workforce is working below--sometimes well below--his potential. And that's only if you count
people who work part-time but want to work full-time. That doesn't count the millions of
Americans working below their potential in full-time jobs. MBAs working retail. Law degree
holders filing papers. Mike Alberti of Remapping Debate tells us what that can do to a person
psychologically over time. As you read this, keep in mind that getting a breadwinner job in
America has become a lottery in which the best and brightest don't get chosen up to 50% of the
time and opportunities for promotion have been limited by the large number of people staying in
their jobs. The many impacts of unemployment including social and psychological ones
have long been catalogued. But much less is known about the consequences of
underemployment. Millions of Americans at least as many as are unemployed, and perhaps
more have either been forced to take part-time work because full-time jobs are not available,
or are forced to work in jobs for which they are overqualified. Since the recession, researchers
have begun to take more of an interest in the psychological effects of underemployment, and
what they have found is not encouraging. In the short-term, it appears that those who are
underemployed like those who are unemployed have an increased risk of depression,
increased stress, and lowered self-esteem. And there may be long-term negative effects, too. On
the psychological side, there are intriguing hints of a downward spiral that might affect
underemployed workers in their family, social, and employment relationships. In economic terms,
there is already data that show that the effects of being underemployed directly after graduating
from college can linger for more than 10 years. And there may be long-term negative effects,
too. On the psychological side, there are intriguing hints of a downward spiral that might affect
underemployed workers in their family, social, and employment relationships. In economic terms,
there is already data that show that the effects of being underemployed directly after graduating
from college can linger for more than 10 years.
From the study, Psychological Effects of Unemployment and Underemployment.
Unemployed workers are twice as likely as their employed counterparts to experience
psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, psychosomatic symptoms, low subjective
well-being and poor self-esteem. (Paul & Moser, 2009). 78 percent reporting money as a
significant source of stress. Unemployment not only affects those who lose their jobs. Coworkers
who are still employed may experience a heavier workload and suffer from anxiety that they too
will soon be unemployed, so the current state of the economy continues to be an enormous
stressor for Americans. Unemployment can lead to declines in individual and family wellbeing.the stress and depressive symptoms associated with job loss can negatively affect
parenting practices such as increasing punitive and arbitrary punishment Depression in children
and adolescents is linked to multiple negative outcomes, including academic problems,
substance abuse, physical health problems, impaired social relationships and increased risk of
suicide. (Birmaher et al., 1996; Chen & Paterson, 2006; Le, Munoz, Ippen, & Stoddard, 2003;
Verona & Javdani, 2011; Stolberg, Clark, & Bongar, 2002.).
From the article, Underemployment affects 1 in 10. The recession has forced an extra 1
million people into working fewer hours than they want, with a quarter of those in part-time roles
saying they want to work longer each week, official figures show. The unemployment rate has
remained low compared with previous recessions, but figures on underemployment from the
Office for National Statistics indicate this is a result of people taking on more part-time roles. The
number of underemployed workers remained flat in the years before the recession, but between
2008 and 2012 it rocketed from 2.07 million to 3.05 million, with almost two-thirds in part-time
jobs, figures based on the ONS's annual Labour Force Survey showed. During this period, many
workers moved from full-time to part-time roles, and many of those returning to work after a
period of unemployment could only find part-time jobs. In 2012, 24% of part-time workers
wanted to work more hours, compared with just 5.5% of full-time workers, meaning part-time

workers were more than four times more likely to be underemployed than those in full-time
posts. In total, one in 10 workers are currently underemployed. Occupations with the highest
number of underemployed workers included cleaners, caterers, labourers and school crossing
assistants. The TUC's general secretary, Brendan Barber, said: "Around 2.5 million across the UK
are currently out of work, but this figure only tells half the story. "Taking any job available, even if
it meant lower pay and fewer hours, was a pragmatic response to the recession. The fact the
number of underemployed people continues to grow shows just how weak our recovery is, and
how fragile the labour market remains." Barber added that long periods of underemployment can
cause "longer-term career damage" and called for "proper investment in high quality jobs so that
full-time work is available for those who want it". The highest underemployment rates were in
the East Midlands, Yorkshire & the Humber, the north-east and the south-west, where more than
10% of workers wanted to work more hours.
From the book, Underemployment: Psychological, Economic, and Social Challenges.
Relatedly, Shipp and Jansen (2005) argue that we must begin to consider not just clock time
(or the actual passage of time) but also psychological time (expectations, anticipation, and
recollections) in fit. They point out that retrospective and anticipated fit have already been found
to influence the relationship between current fit and well-being. One would expect a similar
effect when looking at underemployment. For example, the recollection of past
underemployment may serve as contrast to current levels of underemployment such that when
the contrast is favorable. (current levels of underemployment are lower that recalled levels of
underemployment in a past job), the effect on performance and turnover may be positive. And,
of course, the opposite may occur. This may help explain why people stay in a job from which
they are overqualified or time-related underemployed. This possibility that our beliefs about our
future fit to our jobs and our recollection of our past experiences on the job may moderate the
effects of underemployment on performance is an intriguing one.
Form the article, The Underemployment Problem. by Joey Maloney. The high
underemployment rate deserves attention for a range of compelling social and economic
reasons. On the individual level, research has found that underemployed workers are more likely
to exhibit lower job satisfaction, higher job turnover, poorer mental and physical health and
persistently lower income. Furthermore, underemployed workers are overwhelmingly employed
as casuals, with little job security and negligible superannuation accumulation. Banks are
severely averse to extending credit to individuals lacking secure and sufficient income, which
means underemployed individuals often find themselves trapped in rental accommodation with
little chance of breaking into the housing market. On the macroeconomic level, the
underemployment rate has important implications for the level of underutilisation in the labour
market. The ABS combines the unemployment rate and the underemployment rate to define the
labour force underutilisation rate. Therefore, by focusing solely on unemployment, we cannot
accurately assess whether or not we are efficiently utilising our available labour force. Even with
a low unemployment rate, we may be letting a large volume of hours, which workers are willing
to put to use, go to waste. Underemployment is not evenly dispersed across different
demographics. For example, women are over-represented in the underemployment figures. The
ABS data for August 2013 identified 964,300 underemployed workers, of which 566,800 (or
58.7%) were females. Overall, the rate for women was 9.8%, compared to 5.9% for men. Another
group hit hard by the growing trend is young people. In August 2013, the underemployment rate
for people aged 1524 was 14.8%, compared to an overall rate of 7.8%. To put that in historical
context, in 1978 the youth underemployment rate was 3.0%, with an overall rate of 2.6%. Aside
from women and young people, other groups found to be at risk are immigrants, people with a
lower educational attainment and individuals living in rural areas. Furthermore, a highly
significant factor was found to be labour market history. Research has established that workers
who experienced underemployment in a previous period are considerably more likely to
experience underemployment again. This path-dependency was equally true for males and
females. Since underemployment is best understood as people wanting to work more hours than
they can currently attain, it represents a mismatch between the demand for, and supply of,
hours of work. More specifically, it means there could either be an increasing trend in the amount

of hours people want to work (demand), or a decreasing trend in the amount of hours available
(supply). The most plausible explanation is on the supply-side. The Australian economy has been
going through a gradual shift in the composition of industries. Our manufacturing sector is
shrinking while our services sector grows. The services sector lends itself to casualisation much
easier than the industrial sector, hence we have seen an effective doubling of the proportion of
employees classified as part-time (<35 hours/week).
2.2 Work Performance
From the article, Conceptual Frameworks of Individual Work Performance by Linda
Koopmans, MSc, Claire M. Bernaards, PhD, Vincent H. Hildebrandt, PhD, Wilmar B. Schaufeli, PhD,
Henrica C.W. de Vet, PhD, and Allard J. van der Beek, PhD. Individual work performance is an
issue that has not only grasped companies all over the world but also fueled a great deal of
research in fields of management, occupational health, and work and organizational psychology.
The field of management has primarily occupied itself with how one can make an employee as
productive as possible, the field of occupational health has focused on how to prevent
productivity loss due to a certain disease or health impairment. Work and organizational
psychologists, on the other hand, have an interest in the influence of determinants, such as work
engagement, satisfaction, and personality, on individual work performance. Individual work
performance is a relevant outcome measure of studies in the occupational setting. However,
despite its importance, no comprehensive conceptual framework of individual work performance
exists. It has typically been assumed that what constitutes individual work performance differs
from job to job. As a result, countless measures of work performance have been used. So far, the
assessment of individual work performance has primarily focused either on objective measures
of work productivity (such as the number of days absent, counts of specified acts, or output
maintained in organizational records) or on subjective judgments of quantity and quality of work
from the employee him- or herself, peers, or supervisors. While these methods may provide
valuable information, it can be argued that none of them capture the complexity and full range of
behaviors that constitute an employees performance at work. This raises the question of what
exactly constitutes individual work performance.
It is also stated in the article that work performance is an abstract, latent construct that
cannot be pointed to or measured directly. It is made up of multiple components or dimensions.
These dimensions, in turn, are made up of indicators that can be measured directly. To
conceptualize and operationalize individual work performance, we should explicate the construct
domain of work performance and identify its dimensions and indicators. Whereas the dimensions
may generalize across jobs, the exact indicators can differ between jobs. In the field of
psychology, the conceptualization of work performance has received relatively much attention. A
widely endorsed definition of work performance is that of Campbell: behaviors or actions that
are relevant to the goals of the organization. Three notions accompany this definition: (1) work
performance should be defined in terms of behavior rather than results, (2) work performance
includes only those behaviors that are relevant to the organizations goals, and (3) work
performance is multidimensional. As distinguishing between behavior and results can be difficult,
others have included results in their definition of work performance. For example, Viswesvaran
and Ones defined work performance as scalable actions, behavior and outcomes that
employees engage in or bring about that are linked with and contribute to organizational goals.
According to this research, work performance should be distinguished from work
productivity, two concepts that often seem to be used interchangeably in the literature. Work
productivity is defined as input divided by output. Thus, work productivity is a narrower concept
than work performance. It is also important to distinguish between causal variables and
indicators of work performance. Causal variables determine or predict ones level of work
performance, whereas indicators are reflections of work performance. For example, job
satisfaction is considered a determinant of work performance, whereas work quality is an
indicator of work performance. The current review focuses only on indicators of work

performance and not on its determinants. Thus, until now, no clear consensus exists on what
exactly constitutes individual work performance. The aim of the current review was twofold: (1)
identifying conceptual frameworks of individual work performance and (2) integrating the
conceptual frameworks to reach a heuristic conceptual framework of individual work
performance.
According to Lopper (2008), positive work environment make fostering a positive attitude
a part of each persons performance in their job. If it is not important enough to affect
performance, employees will recognize that it is not really important and will not tend to be
satisfied and contented.
Romano (2007) stated that the performance of the employee is significant to the survival
and the process of every institution. When employees perform their duty well, the organization
directly benefits. In addition, according to Antwi (2004), effective performance can move
organization forward.
2.3 Job Attitude
According to Wood (2001), attitude and learned predisposition (positive or negative)
towards aspects of our environment such as people, issues, and institution. Attitude is composed
of three basic components, thinking, feeling, and reacting. The first aspect corresponds to
beliefs, the second aspect is related to value and the third aspect is a predisposition to behavior.
Work attitude is an employees set of feelings and emotions towards his/her job. Mitterer
and Coon (2007) explained that an attitude is a mixture of beliefs and emotions that predisposes
a person to respond to other people, object, or institutions in a positive or negative way. Oskamp
and Schultz (2005) also stated that attitudes summarize our evaluation on objects, put another
way, evaluation of objects come before an attitude formation. Understanding how an attitude is
formed is prerequisite to examining how sources play a prominent role in forming a new attitude
to substitute the peoples current attitude.
According to Ahmad (2010), the study that conducted by Shah explains that employees
having good attitude towards work are highly satisfied as compared to employees who are less
inclined towards their work.
Locked (2001) stated that attitudes are evaluative statements that can be either favorable
or unfavorable. For example, if a person does not like a certain aspect of his job, he is said to
have a negative feeling towards that task.
Ebreo (2010) mentioned that work attitude is more or less influenced by work
environment. If the environment is bad, it is hard to maintain a positive work attitude even for
people who are self-driven and internally motivated. How employees view their work and their
work environment has much to do with their ability to produce quality work.
2.4 Productivity
From the article Defining and Measuring Productivity. Productivity is usually defined as a
ratio between the output volume and the volume of inputs. In other words, it measures how
efficiently production inputs, such as labor and capital, are being used in an economy to produce
a given level of output. It is considered a key source of economic growth and competitiveness
and a basic statistical information for many international comparisons and country performance
assessments. Productivity growth constitutes an important element for modelling the productive
capacity of economies. It also allows analysts to determine capacity utilization, which in turn
allows one to gauge the position of economies in the business cycle and to forecast economic
growth. In addition, production capacity is used to assess demand and inflationary pressures. As

stated also by this research, there are different measures of productivity and the choice between
them depends either on the purpose of the productivity measurement and/or data availability.
One of the most widely used measures of productivity is Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per hour
worked. This measure captures the use of labor inputs better than just output per employee.
According to an article cited by Browne (2012), many studies have shown a strong
relationship between between employee attitudes and workplace productivity. It just makes
sense that people will work harder, faster, and better when they are happy and positively
motivated. The other side of the coin is also true. A stressful, unhappy workplace is rarely
productive, and it takes just a few employees with bad attitudes or work habits to create enough
interpersonal dissonance to negatively affect workplace productivity. Fortunately, employers can
take steps to prevent poor attitudes from developing and also have mechanisms in place to get
things back on track when difficulties arise.
3. Methodology
This chapter presents the research design, participants of the study, sample and sampling
technique used, instrumentation, data gathering, and the statistical treatments utilized in the
analysis of data.
This chapter presents the various procedures and strategies in evaluating the upshot of
underemployment to the performance of the employees at work. The purpose of this study is to
determine how underemployment affects the employees at work in terms of their productivity
and job attitude towards their work.
3.1 Research Design
For this study, the descriptive research method was utilized. In this method, it is possible
that the study would be cheap and quick. It is also the most appropriate means of evaluating
underemployment and its implication to work performances of people involved.
According to Calderon (1993) descriptive analytical method of research as certain to
prevailing conditions affecting a group hence, this study calls for this method. It is a study
components to serve a direction in reaching a goal. He pointed out that the descriptive methods
tells what is, that which leads to a scientific information about education and other situation.
He further described it as a fact-finding with adequate interpretation usually about fact-finding.
3.2 Sample and Sampling Techniques Used
The participants of this study were thirty (30) randomly selected underemployed workers.
The researchers chose to gather data within the province of Cavite. The setting was finally
decided for convenience of the researchers.
The researchers used random sampling. The researchers chose the respondents randomly
regardless of the gender and other factors.
3.3 Instrumentation
The researchers developed a survey questionnaire as a material for data gathering. The
questionnaire consists of two parts. The part one is the demographic profile of the respondents.
The second part is the questions to be answered by the respondents, this part is divided into two,
the first one consists of questions about productivity and the other one is about job attitude.
3.4 Data Gathering

Data were collected with the aid of questionnaires to identify the effects of
underemployment to the performance of the employees at work in the area of Cavite. A set of
questionnaire were used to gather the data. All the data collected were classified, analyzed,
organized and presented in textual and tabular form.
3.5 Statistical Analysis of Data
In assessing the demographic profile of the respondents, frequency and percentage were
used. To determine the upshot of underemployment to the work performance of the employees
at work, mean was used.
Formula of Mean:
x=fx/n
Where: f=frequency
x=scale
n=total number of respondents
4. Results and Discussion
This chapter contains the presentation and interpretation of the results from the gathered
data through the use of tables followed by the discussion of the results.
4.1 Demographic Profiles of the Respondents
This part shows the tables that contains the discussion on the demographic profile of the
respondents.
Table 1. Distribution of respondents according to gender.
Gender

Frequency

Percentage

Male

11

36.67

Female

19

63.33

Total

30

100

The results revealed that out of thirty (30) respondents, eleven (11) or thirty six point sixty
seven percent (36.67%) were male while nineteen (19) or sixty three point thirty three percent
(63.33%) were female.
The data gathered clearly shows that there were more underemployed females than
males.
Table 2. Distribution of respondents according to age
Age

Frequency

Percentage

29 years old and below

21

70

30 years old to 39 years old

10

40 years old and above

20

Total

30

100

The table shows that out of thirty (30) respondents, twenty one (21) or seventy percent
(70%) were at the age of twenty nine (29) years old and below. Three (3) or ten percent (10%) of
the respondents were in the age range of thirty (30) years old to thirty nine (39) years old. The
rest of the respondents which were six (6) or twenty percent (20%) were at the age of forty (40)
years old and above.
The results clearly shows that majority of the underemployed workers were at the age of
twenty nine (29) years old and below. The data gathered also shows that there were more young
workers who were underemployed.
Table 3. Distribution of respondents according to civil status
Civil Status

Frequency

Percentage

Single

20

66.67

Married

10

33.33

Widowed/Widower

Separated

Total

30

100

Regarding civil status, out of thirty (30) respondents, twenty (20) or sixty six point sixty
seven percent (66.67%) were single while only ten (10) or thirty three point thirty three percent
(33.33%) were married.
The data gathered shows the majority of the underemployed workers were single.
Table 4. Distribution of respondents according to educational attainment.
Educational Attainment

Frequency

Percentage

Elementary

Secondary

23.33

Tertiary

23

76.67

Total

30

100

Out of thirty (30) respondents, seven (7) or twenty three point thirty three percent
(23.33%) finished secondary education. The remaining twenty three (23) respondents or seventy
six point sixty seven percent (76.67%) finished tertiary education.
The data gathered shows the majority of the underemployed workers finished tertiary level
which implies that although these people have enough educational background, they still got
jobs which are neither aligned nor fitted with what they have finished in school.
Table 5. Distribution of respondents according to position at work.
Position at Work

Frequency

Percentage

Production Operator

11

36.67

Store Helper

20

Operation Manager

10

Technical Support Representative

13.33

Quality Controller

20

Total

30

100

The results revealed that eleven (11) or thirty six point sixty seven percent (36.67%) of
the respondents are working as production operator. Six (6) or twenty percent (20%) are working
as store helper. Three (3) or ten percent (10%) are working as operation manager. Four (4) or
thirteen point thirty three percent (13.33%) are working as technical support representative.
Lastly, six (6) or twenty percent (20%) are working as quality controller.
The gathered data shows that most of the respondents that have been interviewed are
working as production operator.
Table 6. Distribution of respondents according to monthly basic salary.
Monthly Basic Salary

Frequency

Percentage

1,000 to 5,000

6.67

6,000 to 10,000

10

33.33

11,000 to 15,000

10

33.33

16,000 to 20,000

20

21,000 and above

6.67

Total

30

100

Out of thirty (30) respondents, two (2) or six point sixty seven percent (6.67%) has a
monthly basic salary of 1,000 to 5,000 and 21,000 and above. Ten (10) or thirty three point thirty
three percent (33.33%) has a monthly basic salary of 6,000 to 10,000 and 11,000 to 15,000. Six
(6) or twenty percent (20%) has a monthly basic salary of 16,000 to 20,000.
The gathered data shows that majority of the underemployed workers that have been
interviewed are having a monthly basic salary of 6,000 to 15,000.
Table 7. Distribution of respondents according to the type of underemployment they
belong.
Type of Underemployment

Frequency

Percentage

Skilled-worker in low-paying job

21

70

Skilled-worker in low-skilled job

23.33

Part-time worker preferring full-time hours

6.67

Total

30

100

The results revealed that twenty one (21) or seventy percent (70%) of the underemployed
respondents were skilled-worker in low-paying job. Seven (7) or twenty three point thirty three
percent (23.33%) were skilled-worker in low-skilled job. The remaining two (2) or six point sixty
seven percent (6.67%) were part-time workers preferring full-time hours.
The gathered data clearly shows that majority of the respondents are under the type of
underemployment which is skilled-worker in low-paying job.
4.2 Upshots of Underemployment to the Work Performance of the Respondents
This part shows the tables that contains the discussion
underemployment to the work performance of the respondents.

on

the

upshots

of

Table 8. Upshot of Underemployment to the Work Performance of the Employees in terms

of Productivity.
Productivity

Mea
n

Interpretat
ion

1.) I cant use my skills to its full extent because my job

doesnt require me to.

3.43

Very
Satisfactory

2.) Most of the time, I feel bored while working.

2.57

Fair

3.) Being underemployed gives me low self-esteem thus

affecting my work performance negatively.

2.57

Fair

4.) Because of low salary even being skilled employee, I feel

depressed making me slack at my job.

3.00

Satisfactory

5.) I want to do more jobs that fits me but is ordered to do

tasks that are beneath my skills, making me feel worthless,
thus affecting my work performance.

3.30

Satisfactory

6.) Underemployment made me less competitive.

2.47

Fair

2.8
9

Satisfactor
y

Average

Legend: 4.20-5.00
3.40-4.19
2.60-3.39
1.80-2.59
1.00-1.79

Outstanding
Very Satisfactory
Satisfactory
Fair
Poor

The upshot of underemployment to the work performance of the employees in terms of

productivity was interpreted as satisfactory with the mean of 2.89. This means that the
performance of an employee in terms of productivity can be affected by being underemployed.
Productivity isnt everything, but in the long run it is almost everything. A countrys ability
to improve its standard of living over time depends almost entirely on its ability to raise its
output per worker (Krugman 1994).
Table 9. Upshot of Underemployment to the Work Performance of the Employees in terms
of Job Attitude.

Job Attitude

Mea
n

Interpretati
on

7.) Sometimes I feel unworthy, depressed and hopeless at

work.

2.47

Fair

8.) I think it is a disgrace being called underemployed.

2.23

Fair

9.) I seldom socialize with my co-workers because I am

underemployed.

2.07

Fair

10.) I envy my co-workers who are not underemployed.

1.93

Fair

11.) My job doesnt satisfy me.

3.13

Satisfactory

12.) My job gave me low self esteem.

2.20

Fair

13.) Sometimes, I consider taking another career path in

hope of landing a better job.

3.90

Very
Satisfactory

14.) I feel like I am forced to do work that are beneath my

skills.

3.23

Satisfactory

Average

2.6
5

Satisfactor
y

Legend: 4.20-5.00
3.40-4.19
2.60-3.39
1.80-2.59
1.00-1.79

Outstanding
Very Satisfactory
Satisfactory
Fair
Poor

The upshot of underemployment to the work performance of the employees in terms of job
attitude was interpreted as satisfactory with the mean of 2.65. This means that the
performance of the employee in terms of job attitude can be affected by being underemployed.
According to the research conducted by Ricketta (2008) about the relation between job
attitude and work performance, job attitudes influence the work performance. It is when job
attitudes were positive, there will be high work performance. Otherwise, when job attitudes were
negative, there will be low work performance.
5. Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation
Presented in this chapter are the summary, conclusion, and recommendation of the study
regarding the upshot of underemployment to the work performance of the employees at work.
5.1 Summary
The study aimed to determine the upshot of underemployment to the work performance of
the employees at work. The study specifically aimed to determine if being underemployed
affects the employees productivity and job attitude towards work.
For this study, the descriptive research method was utilized. In this method, it is possible
that the study would be cheap and quick. It is also the most appropriate means of evaluating
underemployment and its implication to work performances of people involved. This study

described the upshot of underemployment to the work performance of the employees at work in
terms of productivity and job attitude. The participants of this study were thirty (30) workers who
were underemployed. The researchers utilized random sampling in choosing the respondents in
the area of Cavite.
The results revealed that the upshot of underemployment to the work performance of the
employees at work in terms of productivity and job performance is both satisfactory. This
means that underemployment is really affecting the work performance of the employees.
5.2 Conclusion
Based on the data and results gathered, the conclusion that has been drawn was
underemployment does affect the performance of the employees at work in terms of both
productivity and job attitude. The upshot of the underemployment to the work performance of
the employees at work in terms of productivity resulted to be satisfactory. For the upshot of
underemployment to the work performance of the employees at work in terms of job attitude,
the results revealed to be satisfactory.
5.3 Recommendation
Considering the results, the researchers came up with the following recommendations:
Underemployed employees. The researchers recommend to try to find a better job that
is more suitable for his/her educational attainment. Otherwise, work hard on the current job,
participate on trainings and maybe these will lead to a higher position at work and higher salary.
Employers. The researchers recommend to provide trainings and seminars that will
explain the employees the importance of each individual in an organization so that the
employees will not lose their motivation at work.
Co-workers. For the co-workers of the underemployed employees, the researchers
recommend to avoid discrimination or bullying so that those underemployed would not lose their
willingness to work.
Cavite State University. The researchers are humbly recommending to enhance the
present study for the benefit of the students who might be interested to know more about the
upshot of underemployment to the work performance of the employees at work in terms of
productivity and job attitude.
Future researchers. The researchers are recommending for further research on the
study.