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Examining the Determinants of Agency Work: Do Family Friendly Practices Play a Role?

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Author Info
John S. Heywood () (University of Wisconsin and University of Birmingham)
W. Stanley Siebert () (University of Birmingham and IZA Bonn)
Xiangdong Wei () (Lingnan University and University of Birmingham)

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

This paper uses establishment data to estimate the determinants of using agency workers. It contends that those employers with less ability to direct effort of core workers are more likely to use agency workers to meet uncertain labor demand. Family friendly practices are viewed as either increasing or decreasing such ability, depending upon their influence upon absence rates. The empirical results imply that special leave practices reduce firms’ ability to direct worker effort, thereby increasing the likelihood of using agency workers. On the other hand, practices linked with flexible working conditions (workplace nurseries, flexitime and job sharing) have the opposite effect. The findings thus distinguish between family friendly practices that make core workers better off without expanding contingent agency jobs, and those that do not.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in its series IZA Discussion Papers with number 2413.

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Length: 38 pages
Date of creation: Oct 2006
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp2413

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Related research
Keywords: agency work; family friendly work practices; maternity leave; workplace nurseries; flexitime;

Find related papers by JEL classification:
J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
J81 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Working Conditions
M52 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting - - Personnel Economics - - - Compensation and Compensation Methods and Their Effects

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
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    Other versions:
  2. Coles, Melvyn G. & Treble, John G., 1996. "Calculating the price of worker reliability," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(2), pages 169-188, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Chris Forde & Gary Slater, 2005. "Agency Working in Britain: Character, Consequences and Regulation," British Journal of Industrial Relations, Blackwell Publishers Ltd/London School of Economics, vol. 43(2), pages 249-271, 06. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Rebecca Edwards, 2006. "Maternity Leave and the Evidence for Compensating Wage Differentials in Australia," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 82(258), pages 281-297, 09. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Katharine G. Abraham, 1988. "Flexible Staffing Arrangements and Employers' Short-Term Adjustment Strategies," NBER Working Papers 2617, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Deardorff, Alan V & Stafford, Frank P, 1976. "Compensation of Cooperating Factors," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 44(4), pages 671-84, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Michael D. S. Morris & Alexander Vekker, 2001. "An Alternative Look at Temporary Workers, Their Choices, and the Growth in Temporary Employment," Journal of Labor Research, Transaction Publishers, vol. 22(2), pages 373-390, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Yoshio Higuchi & Jane Waldfogel & Masahiro Abe, 1999. "Family leave policies and women's retention after childbirth: Evidence from the United States, Britain, and Japan," Journal of Population Economics, Springer, vol. 12(4), pages 523-545. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Duncan, Greg J & Stafford, Frank P, 1980. "Do Union Members Receive Compensating Wage Differentials?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 70(3), pages 355-71, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Injae Lee & Dong-bae Kim, 2005. "Unions and the use of flexible staffing in korea: evidence from an establishment survey," International Economic Journal, Korean International Economic Association, vol. 19(2), pages 223-234, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Michael Kvasnicka, 2003. "Inside the Black Box of Temporary Help Agencies," Labor and Demography 0311001, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  12. Abraham, Katharine G & Taylor, Susan K, 1996. "Firms' Use of Outside Contractors: Theory and Evidence," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 14(3), pages 394-424, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  13. Allen, Steven G, 1981. "An Empirical Model of Work Attendance," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 63(1), pages 77-87, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. John S. Heywood & Uwe Jirjahn, 2004. "Teams, Teamwork and Absence," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 106(4), pages 765-782, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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