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

Abstract

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.

Precarious employment, psychosocial working conditions, and health: Cross‐sectional associations in a population‐based sample of working Australians

“…working populationbased versus age-or sex-specific groups), or the variety of health outcomes examined [Aronsson et al, 2002;Saloniemi et al, 2004;Silla et al, 2005]. Cultural, regulatory, labour market and social welfare regime distinctions between countries also play a role in shaping precarious-employment-health relationships [Virtanen et al, 2005;Kalleberg, 2009;Kim et al, 2012].…”

Experiences of Employment Precariousness and Psychological Well-being in East Central Sweden

“…However, almost all of the participants reported themselves as involuntary employees. In a study that investigated job insecurity and health-related outcomes among different types of temporary workers Silla et al [9] found that traditional temporary workers had lower life satisfaction than transitional, permanent temporaries and permanents. They argued that traditional temporaries perceived themselves as having less control over their environment.…”

“…The core of employees with a relatively secure labour market status is usually surrounded by spheres and sectors of a "buffer workforce" with various forms of more unstable and insecure work arrangements that carry higher risks of unemployment and other social disadvantages [8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. The relationship between different types of insecure employment and health outcomes continues to be a subject of much debate, with some researchers suggesting that it can be beneficial to workers from the perspective of allowing them to control their work time, sample a variety of work experiences, prepare for permanent employment, and positively combine work and family life, particularly for women [15][16][17].…”

An Institutional Perspective on the Employment Position of Temporary Workers in the Netherlands

“…In general, employees tend to have a strong preference for permanent employment (Silla, Gracia and Peiro, 2005). According to Marler and Milkovich (2000), this is partly because employees believe that permanent jobs yield greater returns.…”