Workers in alternative employment arrangements: A second look

Monthly Labor Review

Volumn 121, Issue 11, 1998, Pages 3-21

  Cohany, Sharon R ^a  

^a NONE

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EID: 0001967086     PISSN: 00981818     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Article

References (23)

1. Data from the February 1997 supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS) were initially published as news release USDL 97-422, "Contingent and alternative employment arrangements, February 1997," issued Dec. 2, 1997. The CPS, conducted for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the Bureau of the Census, is a monthly survey of some 50,000 households that is the primary source of information on the labor force. All employed persons, except unpaid family workers, were eligible for inclusion in the February supplement. The current article updates two that appeared in the October 1996 Monthly Labor Review. "Workers in alternative employment arrangements," by Sharon R. Cohany, pp. 31-45; and "Earnings and benefits of workers in alternative work arrangements," by Steven Hippie and Jay Stewart, pp. 46-54.
2. Data from the February 1997 supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS) were initially published as news release USDL 97-422, "Contingent and alternative employment arrangements, February 1997," issued Dec. 2, 1997. The CPS, conducted for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the Bureau of the Census, is a monthly survey of some 50,000 households that is the primary source of information on the labor force. All employed persons, except unpaid family workers, were eligible for inclusion in the February supplement. The current article updates two that appeared in the October 1996 Monthly Labor Review. "Workers in alternative employment arrangements," by Sharon R. Cohany, pp. 31-45; and "Earnings and benefits of workers in alternative work arrangements," by Steven Hippie and Jay Stewart, pp. 46-54.
3. It may be tempting to classify independent contractors who were identified as wage and salary workers in the main questionnaire as workers who otherwise would have been employees of their client company or as individuals who were "converted" to independent contractors to avoid legal requirements. However, the basic CPS questionnaire does not permit this distinction. Two individuals who are in exactly the same work arrangement may answer the question from the main questionnaire, "Were you employed by government, by a private company, a nonprofit organization, or were you self-employed?" differently, depending on their interpretation of the words "employed" and "self-employed." It was not possible with the CPS supplement to collect information on the legal aspects of employment arrangements.
4. See two articles by John E. Bregger in the Monthly Labor Review: "Self-employment in the United States, 1948-62," January 1963, pp. 37-43; and "Measuring self-employment in the United States," January/February 1996, pp. 3-9. See also Theresa J. Devine, "Characteristics of self-employed women in the United States," Monthly Labor Review, March 1994, pp. 20-34.
5. See two articles by John E. Bregger in the Monthly Labor Review: "Self-employment in the United States, 1948-62," January 1963, pp. 37-43; and "Measuring self-employment in the United States," January/February 1996, pp. 3-9. See also Theresa J. Devine, "Characteristics of self-employed women in the United States," Monthly Labor Review, March 1994, pp. 20-34.
6. See two articles by John E. Bregger in the Monthly Labor Review: "Self-employment in the United States, 1948-62," January 1963, pp. 37-43; and "Measuring self-employment in the United States," January/February 1996, pp. 3-9. See also Theresa J. Devine, "Characteristics of self-employed women in the United States," Monthly Labor Review, March 1994, pp. 20-34.
7. For a study of firms' family-oriented policies toward independent contractors (as well as toward temporary agency workers and direct-hire temporaries), see Kathleen Christensen, "Countervailing Human Resource Trends in Family-Sensitive Firms," in Kathleen Barker and Kathleen Christensen, eds., Contingent Work: American Employment Relations in Transition (Ithaca, NY, Cornell University Press, 1998).
8. The temporary help industry has been the subject of numerous studies, including Anne E. Polivka, "Are Temporary Help Agency Workers Substitutes for Direct Hire Temps? Searching for an Alternative Explanation of Growth in the Temporary Help Industry," paper presented at the Society of Labor Economists Conference, Chicago, May 3-5, 1996; Lonnie Golden and Eileen Applebaum, "What was Driving the 1982-88 Boom in Temporary Employment?" American Journal of Economics and Sociology, October 1992, pp. 473-93; Karylee Laird and Nicolas Williams, "Empoyment Growth in the Temporary Help Supply Industry,"Journal of Economic Perspectives, spring 1997, pp. 117-36. For a history of the temporary help industry, see Martha I. Finney and Deborah A. Dasch, A Heritage of Service: The History of Temporary Help in America (Alexandria, VA, National Association of Temporary Services, 1991). For views of the industry primarily from the temporary workers' perspective, see Kevin D. Henson, Just a Temp (Philadelphia, Temple University Press, 1996); Jackie Krasas Rogers, "Just a Temp: Experience and Structure of Alienation in Temporary Clerical Employment," Work and Occupations, May 1995, pp. 137-66; and Maureen Martella, Just a Temp: Expectations and Experiences of Women Clerical Temporary Workers, report prepared for the U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau, November 1991.
9. The temporary help industry has been the subject of numerous studies, including Anne E. Polivka, "Are Temporary Help Agency Workers Substitutes for Direct Hire Temps? Searching for an Alternative Explanation of Growth in the Temporary Help Industry," paper presented at the Society of Labor Economists Conference, Chicago, May 3-5, 1996; Lonnie Golden and Eileen Applebaum, "What was Driving the 1982-88 Boom in Temporary Employment?" American Journal of Economics and Sociology, October 1992, pp. 473-93; Karylee Laird and Nicolas Williams, "Empoyment Growth in the Temporary Help Supply Industry,"Journal of Economic Perspectives, spring 1997, pp. 117-36. For a history of the temporary help industry, see Martha I. Finney and Deborah A. Dasch, A Heritage of Service: The History of Temporary Help in America (Alexandria, VA, National Association of Temporary Services, 1991). For views of the industry primarily from the temporary workers' perspective, see Kevin D. Henson, Just a Temp (Philadelphia, Temple University Press, 1996); Jackie Krasas Rogers, "Just a Temp: Experience and Structure of Alienation in Temporary Clerical Employment," Work and Occupations, May 1995, pp. 137-66; and Maureen Martella, Just a Temp: Expectations and Experiences of Women Clerical Temporary Workers, report prepared for the U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau, November 1991.
10. The temporary help industry has been the subject of numerous studies, including Anne E. Polivka, "Are Temporary Help Agency Workers Substitutes for Direct Hire Temps? Searching for an Alternative Explanation of Growth in the Temporary Help Industry," paper presented at the Society of Labor Economists Conference, Chicago, May 3-5, 1996; Lonnie Golden and Eileen Applebaum, "What was Driving the 1982-88 Boom in Temporary Employment?" American Journal of Economics and Sociology, October 1992, pp. 473-93; Karylee Laird and Nicolas Williams, "Empoyment Growth in the Temporary Help Supply Industry,"Journal of Economic Perspectives, spring 1997, pp. 117-36. For a history of the temporary help industry, see Martha I. Finney and Deborah A. Dasch, A Heritage of Service: The History of Temporary Help in America (Alexandria, VA, National Association of Temporary Services, 1991). For views of the industry primarily from the temporary workers' perspective, see Kevin D. Henson, Just a Temp (Philadelphia, Temple University Press, 1996); Jackie Krasas Rogers, "Just a Temp: Experience and Structure of Alienation in Temporary Clerical Employment," Work and Occupations, May 1995, pp. 137-66; and Maureen Martella, Just a Temp: Expectations and Experiences of Women Clerical Temporary Workers, report prepared for the U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau, November 1991.
11. The temporary help industry has been the subject of numerous studies, including Anne E. Polivka, "Are Temporary Help Agency Workers Substitutes for Direct Hire Temps? Searching for an Alternative Explanation of Growth in the Temporary Help Industry," paper presented at the Society of Labor Economists Conference, Chicago, May 3-5, 1996; Lonnie Golden and Eileen Applebaum, "What was Driving the 1982-88 Boom in Temporary Employment?" American Journal of Economics and Sociology, October 1992, pp. 473-93; Karylee Laird and Nicolas Williams, "Empoyment Growth in the Temporary Help Supply Industry,"Journal of Economic Perspectives, spring 1997, pp. 117-36. For a history of the temporary help industry, see Martha I. Finney and Deborah A. Dasch, A Heritage of Service: The History of Temporary Help in America (Alexandria, VA, National Association of Temporary Services, 1991). For views of the industry primarily from the temporary workers' perspective, see Kevin D. Henson, Just a Temp (Philadelphia, Temple University Press, 1996); Jackie Krasas Rogers, "Just a Temp: Experience and Structure of Alienation in Temporary Clerical Employment," Work and Occupations, May 1995, pp. 137-66; and Maureen Martella, Just a Temp: Expectations and Experiences of Women Clerical Temporary Workers, report prepared for the U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau, November 1991.
12. The temporary help industry has been the subject of numerous studies, including Anne E. Polivka, "Are Temporary Help Agency Workers Substitutes for Direct Hire Temps? Searching for an Alternative Explanation of Growth in the Temporary Help Industry," paper presented at the Society of Labor Economists Conference, Chicago, May 3-5, 1996; Lonnie Golden and Eileen Applebaum, "What was Driving the 1982-88 Boom in Temporary Employment?" American Journal of Economics and Sociology, October 1992, pp. 473-93; Karylee Laird and Nicolas Williams, "Empoyment Growth in the Temporary Help Supply Industry,"Journal of Economic Perspectives, spring 1997, pp. 117-36. For a history of the temporary help industry, see Martha I. Finney and Deborah A. Dasch, A Heritage of Service: The History of Temporary Help in America (Alexandria, VA, National Association of Temporary Services, 1991). For views of the industry primarily from the temporary workers' perspective, see Kevin D. Henson, Just a Temp (Philadelphia, Temple University Press, 1996); Jackie Krasas Rogers, "Just a Temp: Experience and Structure of Alienation in Temporary Clerical Employment," Work and Occupations, May 1995, pp. 137-66; and Maureen Martella, Just a Temp: Expectations and Experiences of Women Clerical Temporary Workers, report prepared for the U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau, November 1991.
13. The temporary help industry has been the subject of numerous studies, including Anne E. Polivka, "Are Temporary Help Agency Workers Substitutes for Direct Hire Temps? Searching for an Alternative Explanation of Growth in the Temporary Help Industry," paper presented at the Society of Labor Economists Conference, Chicago, May 3-5, 1996; Lonnie Golden and Eileen Applebaum, "What was Driving the 1982-88 Boom in Temporary Employment?" American Journal of Economics and Sociology, October 1992, pp. 473-93; Karylee Laird and Nicolas Williams, "Empoyment Growth in the Temporary Help Supply Industry,"Journal of Economic Perspectives, spring 1997, pp. 117-36. For a history of the temporary help industry, see Martha I. Finney and Deborah A. Dasch, A Heritage of Service: The History of Temporary Help in America (Alexandria, VA, National Association of Temporary Services, 1991). For views of the industry primarily from the temporary workers' perspective, see Kevin D. Henson, Just a Temp (Philadelphia, Temple University Press, 1996); Jackie Krasas Rogers, "Just a Temp: Experience and Structure of Alienation in Temporary Clerical Employment," Work and Occupations, May 1995, pp. 137-66; and Maureen Martella, Just a Temp: Expectations and Experiences of Women Clerical Temporary Workers, report prepared for the U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau, November 1991.
14. The temporary help industry has been the subject of numerous studies, including Anne E. Polivka, "Are Temporary Help Agency Workers Substitutes for Direct Hire Temps? Searching for an Alternative Explanation of Growth in the Temporary Help Industry," paper presented at the Society of Labor Economists Conference, Chicago, May 3-5, 1996; Lonnie Golden and Eileen Applebaum, "What was Driving the 1982-88 Boom in Temporary Employment?" American Journal of Economics and Sociology, October 1992, pp. 473-93; Karylee Laird and Nicolas Williams, "Empoyment Growth in the Temporary Help Supply Industry,"Journal of Economic Perspectives, spring 1997, pp. 117-36. For a history of the temporary help industry, see Martha I. Finney and Deborah A. Dasch, A Heritage of Service: The History of Temporary Help in America (Alexandria, VA, National Association of Temporary Services, 1991). For views of the industry primarily from the temporary workers' perspective, see Kevin D. Henson, Just a Temp (Philadelphia, Temple University Press, 1996); Jackie Krasas Rogers, "Just a Temp: Experience and Structure of Alienation in Temporary Clerical Employment," Work and Occupations, May 1995, pp. 137-66; and Maureen Martella, Just a Temp: Expectations and Experiences of Women Clerical Temporary Workers, report prepared for the U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau, November 1991.
15. Since 1982, data on the temporary help industry have been available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics through the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey, which collects information on employment, hours, and earnings from employers in nonagricultural industries. Estimates of employment in the temporary help industry, as measured by the CES, are considerably higher than CPS-derived estimates, reflecting substantial differences between the two surveys. For instance, the CES category "Help supply services" (SIC 7363) includes some contract and employee-leasing companies, in addition to temporary help agencies. In the CES, multiple jobholders are counted on each payroll; in the CPS, they are counted on their main job only. Also, in the CES, individuals on multiple temporary help agency payrolls are counted on each payroll on which they appeared during the reference week. In the CPS, they are counted only once. For additional information on these differences, see Cohany, "Alternative employment arrangements," pp. 39-40; and Anne E. Polivka, "Contingent and alternative work arrangements, defined," Monthly Labor Review, October 1996, p. 9, footnote 12.
16. Since 1982, data on the temporary help industry have been available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics through the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey, which collects information on employment, hours, and earnings from employers in nonagricultural industries. Estimates of employment in the temporary help industry, as measured by the CES, are considerably higher than CPS-derived estimates, reflecting substantial differences between the two surveys. For instance, the CES category "Help supply services" (SIC 7363) includes some contract and employee- leasing companies, in addition to temporary help agencies. In the CES, multiple jobholders are counted on each payroll; in the CPS, they are counted on their main job only. Also, in the CES, individuals on multiple temporary help agency payrolls are counted on each payroll on which they appeared during the reference week. In the CPS, they are counted only once. For additional information on these differences, see Cohany, "Alternative employment arrangements," pp. 39-40; and Anne E. Polivka, "Contingent and alternative work arrangements, defined," Monthly Labor Review, October 1996, p. 9, footnote 12.
17. Recent research on contract companies includes Katharine G. Abraham and Susan K. Taylor, "Firms' Use of Outside Contractors: Theory and Evidence," Journal of Labor Economics, July 1996, pp. 394-424; and two pieces by Susan N. Houseman: Temporary, Part- time, and Contract Employment: A Report on the W. E. Upjohn Institute's Employer Survey on Flexible Staffing Arrangements (U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, 1996); and "Labor Standards in Alternative Work Arrangements," Proceedings of the 50th Annual Meeting of the Industrial Relations Research Association, vol. 2 (Chicago, Industrial Relations Research Association, 1998), pp. 1135-42.
18. Recent research on contract companies includes Katharine G. Abraham and Susan K. Taylor, "Firms' Use of Outside Contractors: Theory and Evidence," Journal of Labor Economics, July 1996, pp. 394-424; and two pieces by Susan N. Houseman: Temporary, Part-time, and Contract Employment: A Report on the W. E. Upjohn Institute's Employer Survey on Flexible Staffing Arrangements (U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, 1996); and "Labor Standards in Alternative Work Arrangements," Proceedings of the 50th Annual Meeting of the Industrial Relations Research Association, vol. 2 (Chicago, Industrial Relations Research Association, 1998), pp. 1135-42.
19. Recent research on contract companies includes Katharine G. Abraham and Susan K. Taylor, "Firms' Use of Outside Contractors: Theory and Evidence," Journal of Labor Economics, July 1996, pp. 394-424; and two pieces by Susan N. Houseman: Temporary, Part- time, and Contract Employment: A Report on the W. E. Upjohn Institute's Employer Survey on Flexible Staffing Arrangements (U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, 1996); and "Labor Standards in Alternative Work Arrangements," Proceedings of the 50th Annual Meeting of the Industrial Relations Research Association, vol. 2 (Chicago, Industrial Relations Research Association, 1998), pp. 1135-42.
20. See, for instance, Arne L. Kalleberg, Edith Rassell, Naomi Cassirer, Barbara F. Reskin, Ken Hudson, David Webster, Eileen Appelbaum, and Roberta M. Spalter-Roth, Nonstandard Work, Substandard Jobs: Flexible Work Arrangements in the U.S. (Washington, DC, Economic Policy Institute and Women's Research and Education Institute, 1997); and the series of articles in the Mar. 29, 1993, issue of Time magazine under the general title, "Society: A Nation of Part- Timers": Lance Morrow, "The Temping of America," pp. 40-41; Janice Castro, "Disposable Workers," pp. 43-44; and Robert Reich, "Nobody Is Safe," pp. 46-47.
21. See, for instance, Arne L. Kalleberg, Edith Rassell, Naomi Cassirer, Barbara F. Reskin, Ken Hudson, David Webster, Eileen Appelbaum, and Roberta M. Spalter-Roth, Nonstandard Work, Substandard Jobs: Flexible Work Arrangements in the U.S. (Washington, DC, Economic Policy Institute and Women's Research and Education Institute, 1997); and the series of articles in the Mar. 29, 1993, issue of Time magazine under the general title, "Society: A Nation of Part-Timers": Lance Morrow, "The Temping of America," pp. 40-41; Janice Castro, "Disposable Workers," pp. 43-44; and Robert Reich, "Nobody Is Safe," pp. 46-47.
22. See, for instance, Arne L. Kalleberg, Edith Rassell, Naomi Cassirer, Barbara F. Reskin, Ken Hudson, David Webster, Eileen Appelbaum, and Roberta M. Spalter-Roth, Nonstandard Work, Substandard Jobs: Flexible Work Arrangements in the U.S. (Washington, DC, Economic Policy Institute and Women's Research and Education Institute, 1997); and the series of articles in the Mar. 29, 1993, issue of Time magazine under the general title, "Society: A Nation of Part- Timers": Lance Morrow, "The Temping of America," pp. 40-41; Janice Castro, "Disposable Workers," pp. 43-44; and Robert Reich, "Nobody Is Safe," pp. 46-47.
23. See, for instance, Arne L. Kalleberg, Edith Rassell, Naomi Cassirer, Barbara F. Reskin, Ken Hudson, David Webster, Eileen Appelbaum, and Roberta M. Spalter-Roth, Nonstandard Work, Substandard Jobs: Flexible Work Arrangements in the U.S. (Washington, DC, Economic Policy Institute and Women's Research and Education Institute, 1997); and the series of articles in the Mar. 29, 1993, issue of Time magazine under the general title, "Society: A Nation of Part- Timers": Lance Morrow, "The Temping of America," pp. 40-41; Janice Castro, "Disposable Workers," pp. 43-44; and Robert Reich, "Nobody Is Safe," pp. 46-47.