I can't get no job satisfaction: Meta‐analysis comparing permanent and contingent workers

Abstract

Summary Scholars are concerned that contingent workers experience more adverse psychological job outcomes than permanent employees, but the empirical work on job satisfaction is mixed. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively summarize the potential mean differences in job satisfaction between contingent workers and permanent employees. Meta‐analytic results from 72 primary studies (N = 237 856) suggest that compared with permanent employees, contingent workers experience lower job satisfaction (d = −0.21); but when outlying primary studies are removed, the mean difference is small but significant (d = −0.06). Methodological artifacts explain small but significant differences in job satisfaction but do not account for much variance. Moderator analyses support previous findings that contingent workers are not a homogeneous group; some contingent workers (e.g., agency workers) experience lower job satisfaction than permanent employees, whereas the job satisfaction of other contingent workers (e.g., contractors) is similar to permanent employees. The findings have implications for increasing our understanding of job satisfaction by showing that job satisfaction appears to vary by employment type. Practical implications suggest that extending human resource practices to contingent workers may increase their job satisfaction, which has been shown to influence job performance, citizenship behaviors, and turnover. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Temporary Agency Workers—Precarious Workers? Perceived Job Security and Employability for Temporary Agency Workers and Client Organization Employees at a Swedish Manufacturing Plant

“…Wilkin (2013) shows in a meta-study that job satisfaction is significantly lower among temporary agency workers than among permanent workers and temporary employees. One important explanation for lower job satisfaction among temporary agency workers is the lack of job security.…”

Temporary contracts: effect on job satisfaction and personal lives of recent PhD graduates

“…An important one is the level of the job: a skill mismatch negatively influences job satisfaction (Allen and van der Velden 2001;Mavromaras et al 2010). The type of employment also plays a role: in a metaanalysis Wilkin (2013) showed that non-permanent employment decreases job satisfaction. The type of non-permanent employment matters: self-employed persons are as satisfied as permanent employees, whereas agency workers and direct-hires (i.e., persons hired on a temporary contract directly by the company) are less satisfied.…”

The psychological impact of agency worker utilisation

“…Wilkin (2012) used studies from across the globe gaining access to key studies in the area. Her research found that contingent workers experience lower job satisfaction than permanent workers although she commented that the difference was small although significant.…”