The Temporary Help Industry: A Response to the Dual Internal Labor Market

Abstract

This study of the rapidly growing temporary help industry draws on Commerce Department data and the results of the authors' national mail survey of employers. The authors also conducted interviews in the San Francisco area with employers of temporary help and with representatives of temporary help agencies and labor unions. They provide a taxonomy of employer responses to temporary increases in work loads, ranging from the more intensive use of full-time employees to a variety of arrangements with part-time, temporary, and casual employees. The authors show how these employer responses vary by industry, occupation, size of the firm, stability of product demand, and the level of fringe benefits.