Temporary Workers/Temporary Agency Workers

Abstract A substantial proportion of the total working population, ranging from 8% in the United States to 14% in Europe, is temporarily employed. Temporary employment refers to dependent employment of limited duration, either directly by the organization or by an agency. The use of temporary employment is mostly inspired by employers' motives related to cost reduction and flexibility. This has led to concerns about the impact of temporary employment for the worker. These concerns are rooted in the observation of poorer quality of temporary jobs compared with permanent jobs. Surprisingly, however, this poorer quality does not lead to an overall negative experience in terms of attitude, health and well‐being among the temporary workforce. Possibly, temporary workers see their job as a transitory stage to permanent employment.