When does perceived overqualification enhance civil servants' work engagement? The role of public service motivation and ethical leadership

Perceived overqualification, the perception that employees' qualifications exceed their job requirements, is increasingly common among civil servants. Studies in the public sector have primarily focused on its negative outcomes. However, employees who perceive themselves as overqualified often possess surplus talent. The impact of perceived overqualification, whether positive or negative, depends on certain moderating conditions, which have received little attention. Drawing on the Ability-Motivation-Opportunity model, this study examines how public service motivation and ethical leadership moderate the relationship between perceived overqualification and work engagement, using data from 407 Chinese civil servants. The results indicate that when public service motivation is low, perceived overqualification negatively impacts work engagement. However, high public service motivation alone is insufficient to drive overqualified employees to increase work engagement. The study further identifies a three-way interaction among perceived overqualification, public service motivation, and ethical leadership, showing that ethical leadership helps overqualified employees with high public service motivation better utilize their abilities, thus enhancing work engagement. These findings provide valuable insights for mitigating the negative effects of perceived overqualification and leveraging the potential of overqualified civil servants. • Perceived overqualification negatively affects work engagement when public service motivation is low. • High public service motivation alone is insufficient to drive overqualified employees to increase work engagement. • Public service motivation and ethical leadership jointly promote the positive effects of perceived overqualification.