Temporary Help Agencies and Participation Histories in the Labour Market: A Sequence-Oriented Approach Articles uri icon

publication date

  • December 2008

start page

  • 25

end page

  • 66

issue

  • 167

volume

  • 50

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0014-1151

abstract

  • This paper analyzes whether having been enrolled by a Temporary Help Agency compared to being in a non-employment situation is related to enjoying a subsequent job under a permanent contract. Micro-level data from the Spanish Social Security records are exploited through the use of Optimal Matching Analysis. The empirical analysis focuses on the whole sequence of labour market states (and not on transitions). We find evidence supporting that agency jobs may serve as "stepping stones" towards permanent employment for some workers, especially women with or below 35 years-old, compared to those in non-employment.