This article offers a brief overview of the contingent worker industry and its employees. In addition to defining temporary worker, the authors describe the importance of the temporary worker industry to the U.S. economy and the forces that have driven this industry's rapid growth. The changing profile of temporary workers, the benefits and…

Discusses issues in measuring job security and presents a comparison of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and the Current Population Survey on job tenure and contingent employment. (SK)

This document's seven papers examine compensation and employment risk in the United States and Canada. "Introduction" (John A. Turner) discusses compensation risk bearing in labor markets. "Wage and Job Risk for Workers" (John A. Turner) explores the problems of macroeconomic instability, job turnover, job and earnings…