Temporary agency work, migration and the crisis in Greece: labour market segmentation intensified

Abstract

This article focuses on the under-researched temporary agency employment in Greece. It shows that the development of the temporary employment agency sector has gone hand in hand with the flow of undocumented and exploitable migrant labour in Greece over the past 25 years, reflecting the segmentation of the Greek labour market along ethnic lines. Using empirical research evidence on the operation of temporary employment agencies in the Greek hospitality and health care sectors, the article highlights the precarious or even illicit nature of agency employment in a context in which labour outsourcing and flexible employment are promoted by policy-makers. Last but not least, it suggests that the segmented landscape of the Greek labour market has become more complex during the economic crisis, with more and more Greeks drawn to agency-mediated precarious employment.

Nonstandard forms of employment in Greece during the crisis: Challenges, risks, and prospects

“…Regarding the percentage of those persons employed on part time jobs almost doubled since 2008 representing 9.7% of total employment, however it is far below the eurozone average of 21.6%. In contrast to most European welfare states, the growth of the Greek temporary worker staffing industry over the past 25 years has hardly drawn on the population of its unemployed citizens (Maroukis, ). According to LaborForce Survey data, only 4.1% of the unemployed used private employment offices as a method of seeking work in 2017, which was well below the Eurozone average of 23.7%.…”

“…Temporary agency workers comprised 0.1% of the country's workforce in 2009 and 2010 (Voss et al, , p. 23). Despite the very limited academic research available, it seems that the workforce of Temporary Employment Firms are not only migrants but also Greeks with low‐ and medium‐skills (Maroukis, , p. 183).…”

Work Commitment Modes of Temporary Agency Workers in Restaurants

“…Temporary agency workers are one of the least protected worker groups in many European countries. There are many regulations and court rulings imposing that temporary agency workers should become employees of the end user company after various time of continuous employment which do not seem to be implemented or enforced (Finlex, 2001;Håkansson & Isidorsson, 2012;Maroukis, 2016). In Finland pretense of regular employment relationships are the rule.…”

“…This rule is being circumvented in many cases, so some workers work indefinitely on triangular form, through agency. In Britain, Sweden and Greece the temporary agency workers are also not merely used for temporary needs (Davidov, 2004;Håkansson & Isidorsson, 2012;Maroukis, 2016). Obscurities due to triangular natures of the employment relationship with temporary agency, end user company and temporary agency workers, the different definitions of employee status have been worsening.…”

“…Temporary agency work is often viewed as an example of flexible work and a flexible buffer of workers that can be adjusted rapidly due to uncertain or changing demand and on the other hand is criticized for giving the power of employment negotiation in the hands of the brokering agency rather than the worker and bringing instability to work relationships (Forde & Slater, 2005;Maroukis, 2016). Flexibility is not always a wanted affair by the employer, if costs providing worker's flexibility are becoming too high, they pay higher wages to attract workers who value flexibility less or are on the periphery, like temporary agency workers (Green & Heywood, 2011).…”