TEMPORARY WORKER

A full- or part-time employee hired for a limited time, frequently to meet a specific demand or for a special rush job, with the understanding that employment will end with the completion of a particular task and that he or she does not accumulate seniority. The employee can be hired by the company or a temporary agency.

"A number of studies have documented the low earnings, frequent job transitions, and lower rates of health insurance coverage among temporary workers and found that temporary workers were more likely than other workers to change employers, to report being underemployed, to work fewer and more variable hours, and to have less attachment to the labor force."
(Heinrich, C.J., Temporary Employment Experiences of Women on Welfare , Metapress, visited 2011-08-06)

"In a union workplace, temps sometimes enjoy at least some of the fringe benefits of the contractor."
(Murray, R. E., The Lexicon of Labor: More Than 500 Key Terms, Biographical Sketches, and Historical Insights Concerning Labor in America, New York: New Press, 1998)

"Temporary workers hold explicit or implicit contracts of employment which are expected to last longer than the period used to define casual workers, but shorter than the one used to define regular employees."
(Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Glossary of Statistical Terms, 2001, visited 2011-08-06)

Temporary workers are not a homogenous group; their situations vary depending on whether their jobs are term, contractual, seasonal, casual, or are obtained through an employment agency.

Some companies choose to use temporary workers on an ongoing basis, rather than employ permanent staff, who typically would receive greater salaries and benefits.
(adapted from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Career Guide to Industries, visited 2011-08-06)

In the 1980s and 1990s there was a change in employment relations. In most countries, the full-time job with a permanent contract became less important. However, there was an increase in part-time jobs, in non-permanent jobs and in self-employment. Work organization has been changing very rapidly and employment relations have become more flexible.
(adapted from European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Employment Status and Working Conditions , 2002, visited 2011-08-06)