Job Insecurity and Health-Related Outcomes among Different Types of Temporary Workers

Over the past few decades, the number of flexible workers has increased, a situation that has captured researchers’ attention. Traditionally, temporary workers were portrayed as being disadvantaged compared to permanent workers. But in the new era, temporary workers cannot be treated as a homogeneous group. This study distinguishes between four types of temporaries based on their contract preference and employability level. Furthermore, it compares them with a permanent group. Whether these groups differ on job insecurity and health-related outcomes in a sample of 383 Spanish employees was tested. Differences in well-being and life satisfaction were found, and the hypotheses were supported. The results point out that the temporary workforce is diverse. Therefore, in order to attain a better understanding of the experiences and situations of these workers, it is preferable not to consider them as one homogeneous group.

[1]  H. Witte Tussen optimisten en teruggetrokkenen: een empirisch onderzoek naar het psychosociaal profiel van langdurig werkloen en deelnemers aan de Weer-Werkactie in Vlaanderen , 1992 .

[2]  Katharina Näswall,et al.  `Objective' vs `Subjective' Job Insecurity: Consequences of Temporary Work for Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment in Four European Countries , 2003 .

[3]  H. Witte Arbeidsethos en jobonzekerheid: meting en gevolgen voor welzijn, tevredenheid en inzet op het werk , 2000 .

[4]  J. Hillage Employability: developing a framework for policy analysis , 1998 .

[5]  Y. Cohen,et al.  Temporary Help Service Workers: Employment Characteristics and Wage Determination , 1993 .

[6]  K. Isaksson,et al.  Health problems and quitting among female "temps" , 2002 .

[7]  D. Jacobson,et al.  Job Insecurity: Coping with Jobs at Risk , 1991 .

[8]  J. P. Wanous,et al.  Overall job satisfaction: how good are single-item measures? , 1997, The Journal of applied psychology.

[9]  M. Gannon Preferences of Temporary Workers: Time, Variety, and Flexibility. , 1984 .

[10]  Shaul Fox,et al.  Work Attitudes and Emotional Responses of Permanent, Voluntary, and Involuntary Temporary‐help Employees: An Exploratory Study , 1995 .

[11]  Zella King New or traditional careers? A study of UK graduates' preferences , 2003 .

[12]  Premkumar T. Devanbu,et al.  Resource Management , 2000, EDO.

[13]  E. Deci,et al.  The support of autonomy and the control of behavior. , 1987, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[14]  D. Guest Flexible Employment Contracts, the Psychological Contract and Employee Outcomes: An Analysis and Review of the Evidence , 2004 .

[15]  C. Udry,et al.  The Dual Economy , 1999 .

[16]  Margareta Dallner,et al.  Work environment and health in different types of temporary jobs , 2002 .

[17]  Yuan Cheng,et al.  Restructuring the Employment Relationship , 1998 .

[18]  Daniel C. Feldman,et al.  Managing temporary workers: A permanent HRM challenge , 1994 .

[19]  Francisco J. Gracia,et al.  How Do Young People Cope with Job Flexibility?: Demographic and Psychological Antecendents of the Resistance to Accept a Job with Non‐Preferred Flexibility Features , 2002 .

[20]  Johnny Hellgren,et al.  Individual and Organizational Consequences of Job Insecurity: A European Study , 2003 .

[21]  J. Jaccard Interaction Effects in Factorial Analysis of Variance , 1997 .

[22]  U. Kinnunen,et al.  Job insecurity in Finland: Antecedents and consequences , 1994 .

[23]  M. Krausz Effects of short‐ and long‐term preference for temporary work upon psychological outcomes , 2000 .

[24]  Joan Benach,et al.  Types of employment and health in the European union: changes from 1995 to 2000. , 2004, European journal of public health.

[25]  David B. Greenberger,et al.  Temporary Employment: Can Organizations and Employees Both Win? , 1997 .

[26]  Paul R. Sackett,et al.  Factors related to the satisfaction and performance of temporary employees. , 1998 .

[27]  J. Vahtera,et al.  The Work Environment in Fixed-Term Jobs: Are Poor Psychosocial Conditions Inevitable? , 2004 .

[28]  C. Muntaner,et al.  The health-damaging potential of new types of flexible employment: a challenge for public health researchers. , 2000, American journal of public health.

[29]  E. Rodriguez,et al.  Marginal employment and health in Britain and Germany: does unstable employment predict health? , 2002, Social science & medicine.

[30]  Anne E. Polivka Contingent and Alternative Work Arrangements, Defined. , 1996 .

[31]  A. Diez-Roux,et al.  How do types of employment relate to health indicators? Findings from the Second European Survey on Working Conditions , 2000, Journal of epidemiology and community health.

[32]  Lewis M. Segal,et al.  The Growth of Temporary Services Work , 1997 .

[33]  Katharina Näswall,et al.  Who Feels Insecure in Europe? Predicting Job Insecurity from Background Variables , 2003 .

[34]  Inmaculada Silla,et al.  Diferencias en el contenido del contrato psicológico en función del tipo de contrato y de la gestión empresarial pública o privada , 2005 .

[35]  Magnus Sverke,et al.  ALTERNATIVE WORK ARRANGEMENTS Job Stress, Well-being, and Work Attitudes among Employees with Different Employment Contracts , 2000 .

[36]  D. Gordon Problems in Political Economy: An Urban Perspective , 1971 .

[37]  G. Aronsson,et al.  Permanent employment but not in a preferred occupation: psychological and medical aspects, research implications. , 1999, Journal of occupational health psychology.

[38]  M. Kivimäki,et al.  Employment security and health , 2002, Journal of epidemiology and community health.

[39]  Stephen R. Barley,et al.  Why Do Contractors Contract? The Experience of Highly Skilled Technical Professionals in a Contingent Labor Market , 2002 .

[40]  Janet H. Marler,et al.  Boundaryless and traditional contingent employees: worlds apart , 2002 .