What’s the problem with temporary work?
Mojca Svetek | 10 October 2023
One of the key characteristics of the modern labour market is the division of labour into separate segments distinguished by different levels of job security and job quality, as well as levels of employee control over their work and life. One of the most prominent factors driving this segmentation is the increased use of non-permanent contractual arrangements.
Vulnerable groups in the labour market, such as women, younger workers, older workers, those with lower levels of education, and those in lower-grade occupations, are at greater risk of temporary jobs.
Opponents of temporary jobs argue that temporary jobs often mean lower wages and few opportunities for skill improvement and career development. If this is the case, temporary jobs could further exacerbate existing inequalities in the labour market. On the other hand, proponents of temporary jobs argue that such employment could help individuals become and remain active in the labour market and transition to more stable, permanent employment. Therefore, this could especially benefit these vulnerable groups.
Temporary jobs are best understood when compared to permanent jobs. There is one defining characteristic that pops up in these comparisons. Job insecurity.
Some permanent workers may indeed perceive their jobs as insecure. But on average job insecurity is the most important and persistent dimension of the job quality gap between temporary and permanent employment. Job insecurity comes with a wide range of negative consequences for individuals, such as increased psychological distress, impaired mental and worsened general health.
Job security is important to people. So, no surprise, permanent employment remains the preferred choice of most workers.
But, this is not a perfect world.
So, in articles that follow I will discuss: Is it better to have an insecure, lower-quality job than to have no job at all? Are such jobs “stepping stones” towards permanent employment or are they just “dead-ends”? Can such jobs help integrate vulnerable groups into the labour market or are they, in fact, contributing, to the increased segmentation of the labour market? And more.
Research articles:
Barbieri, P. (2009). Flexible employment and inequality in Europe. European Sociological Review, 25(6), 621-628.
de Graaf-Zijl, M., van den Berg, G. J., & Heyma, A. (2011). Stepping stones for the unemployed: the effect of temporary jobs on the duration until (regular) work. Journal of Population Economics, 24(1), 107-139.
Näswall, K., & De Witte, H. (2003). Who feels insecure in Europe? Predicting job insecurity from background variables. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 24(2), 189-215.
Rubery, J., Grimshaw, D., Keizer, A., & Johnson, M. (2018). Challenges and contradictions in the ‘normalising’ of precarious work. Work, Employment and Society, 32(3), 509-527.
Svetek, M. (2022). The promise of flexicurity: Can employment and income security mitigate the negative effects of job insecurity? Economic and Industrial Democracy, 43(3), 1206-1235.