Both the proportion and characteristics of workers in four alternative employment arrangements in February 1997 were little different from two years earlier. The groups--temporary-help-agency workers, contract company workers, workers who are on call, and independent contractors--continue to be highly diverse. (Author/JOW)

Contingent workers generally earn less income and are less likely to receive health insurance and pension benefits through their employers than are noncontingent workers. However, many earn higher wages than those in traditional arrangements and have access to health insurance from other sources. (Author)

Discusses the field of temporary employment. Topics covered include (1) the need for temporaries, (2) how the agency concept works, (3) why people become temporary employees, and (4) the types of occupations available on a temporary basis. (CH)

A comparison of the incidence of atypical employment in 11 European countries shows that high rates of part-time employment mitigate unemployment, but high proportions of temporary employment seem to coincide with high unemployment. (JOW)

The rapid postwar rise of temporary employment is outlined, including legitimate and less legitimate manifestations, views of unions and employers, advantages and disadvantages. The legal status of such work in various countries and the problems arising from the triangular relationship between worker, temporary agency, and employer are addressed.…

Although conventional wisdom indicates that temporary workers are becoming the norm and full-time workers are becoming an anachronism, statistics do not bear this position out. The truth includes the following facts: (1) companies are using more temporary workers, but these new employment arrangements provide new entry points into the labor market…

This article documents the job gains recently experienced in the temporary help industry, and discusses reasons for the increase in demand for temporary workers and factors leading to the growth in supply of workers for temporary jobs. It also discusses differences in the occupational segments of the temporary help market. (CT)

Examines the restructuring of urban employment regimes through the lens of low-wage, temporary employment and its attendant social division of labor at the urban scale. Focuses on the ways in which a "regime of precarious employment" has been embedded within a regional growth model and describes emerging forms of labor market regulation associated…

New information technologies, changing work force demographics, rising customer expectations, transnational companies, and cost pressures are altering traditional views of what constitutes a workplace and have given rise to a new trend: the mobile worker in the flexible workplace. Two factors promote acceptance of telework or telecommuting: (1)…

Although the incidence of contingent work--jobs that are structured to be short term or temporary--declined between 1995 and 1997, it continues to be more common among women, youth, students, part-time workers, and in the construction and services industries. Contingent workers are also found in both high- and low-skilled occupations. (Author/JOW)

Contingent workers are those employed in jobs that do not fit the traditional description of a full-time, permanent job with benefits. Contingent work takes the form of part-time, temporary, and contract employment. The number of contingent workers in 1988 has been estimated at between 29.9 and 36.6 million, representing 25-30 percent of the…

Considers the cost of employing student temporary workers in academic libraries and suggests they be replaced with fewer full-time staff. Topics include the trend toward contingent, or temporary, employment; management problems; core employees; cost effectiveness of student employment, including poor productivity and training needs; and evaluating…

A 1995 study of recent developments in temporary work in Britain was based on survey data from 979 workplaces and interviews with 23 employers and employment agencies. Data were collected through a postal questionnaire survey and face-to-face interviews. Findings indicated that temporary working was widespread with over half the respondents…

This report synthesizes the findings from several areas of work undertaken to assess what impact public sector employment has had on both the level and structure of employment. It also examines the impact of the public sector as employer on the labor market from two viewpoints: the level and share of public sector employment and the structure of…

As the number of women workers has increased, the conditions of employment have changed. Contingent employment such as part time and temporary work allows women to accommodate their lifestyle needs and enables employers to compete in the world economy. Lack of benefits and lack of advancement opportunities are pitfalls of such arrangements. (VM)