Inside The Black Box of Temporary Help Agencies

Arbeitspapier

Based on a new panel dataset created in close cooperation with one of the largest temporary help agencies (THAs) in Germany, this paper presents novel evidence on key aspects of temporary agency work, a segment of the labor market that despite its growing importance remains underresearched. In particular, we provide detailed information on the internal operation of a THA and the allocative function it performs both as an intermediate demander and as a final supplier of labor in this submarket. In addition to offering first examination of effective wage and fee schedules, we document, among others, the rise of on-call hiring, recalls and fixed-term contracts in the recruitment of workers, the reasons for job termination, as well as the volume of labor actually contracted per worker and per worker-client match. We show that the THA manages to utilize effectively its workforce in assignments and keeps idle labor at a minimum. In fact, more than a third of workers exhibit multiple client engagements. One-off recruitment and dismissal costs per worker can thus effectively be spread across different clients.

Angaben zum Objekt

• Sprache: Englisch

Verweise und Beziehungen

• Erschienen in: Series: SFB 373 Discussion Paper ; No. 2003,43

Klassifikation und Themen

• Klassifikation: Wirtschaft ; Demand and Supply of Labor: General ; Particular Labor Markets: General ; Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs: General
• Thema: temporary help ; agency work ; flexible employment ; Leiharbeit ; Arbeitsvermittlung ; Arbeitsnachfrage ; Arbeitsangebot ; Matching ; Schätzung ; Deutschland

Beteiligte, Orts- und Zeitangaben

• Ereignis: Geistige Schöpfung
• (wer): Kvasnicka, Michael
• Ereignis: Veröffentlichung
• (wer): Humboldt University of Berlin, Interdisciplinary Research Project 373: Quantification and Simulation of Economic Processes
• (wo): Berlin
• (wann): 2003

Weitere Informationen

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/22257
• URN: urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-10050774
• Letzte Aktualisierung: 10.03.2025, 11:45 MEZ