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Temporary work and neoliberal government policy: evidence from British Columbia, Canada

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  • Fiona MacPhail
  • Paul Bowles

Abstract

We examine the impact of government policy on the incidence of temporary work by analysing the case of British Columbia (BC), Canada. The analysis is based upon the Canadian Labour Force Survey 1997-2004; temporary work is defined as work that is not expected to last for more than 6 months and includes seasonal, fixed-term, casual, and temporary help agency work. A case study of BC provides a valuable opportunity to assess the impacts of neoliberal government policy, designed to increase labour market flexibility, on the extent of temporary work because we are able to compare labour market trends in BC both before and after the reforms introduced in 2001 and to compare BC with other provinces in Canada that were not subject to such large changes in their policy environments. We find that the shift to neoliberal policies in BC led to significant increases in the likelihood of workers finding themselves in temporary employment. We also find that the likelihood of being a temporary worker in BC in the post-policy change period increases relative to all other provinces over the same period. Taken together, these results indicate that government policy is a key determinant of the level of temporary work. As such, the level of temporary work should be seen as a policy-sensitive variable, rather than as a phenomenon determined solely by the exogenous forces of globalization and technological change.

Suggested Citation

  • Fiona MacPhail & Paul Bowles, 2008. "Temporary work and neoliberal government policy: evidence from British Columbia, Canada," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(5), pages 545-563.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:irapec:v:22:y:2008:i:5:p:545-563
    DOI: 10.1080/02692170802287524
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. John Schmitt & Jonathan Wadsworth, 2002. "Is the OECD Jobs Strategy Behind US and British Employment and Unemployment Success in the 1990s?," SCEPA working paper series. 2002-06, Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA), The New School.
    2. Baker, Dean, & Glyn, Andrew, & Howell, David R., & Schmitt, John., 2004. "Unemployment and labour market institutions : the failure of the empirical case for deregulation," ILO Working Papers 993741243402676, International Labour Organization.
    3. repec:ilo:ilowps:374124 is not listed on IDEAS
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    Cited by:

    1. Beckmann, Michael & Kuhn, Dieter, 2012. "Flexibility vs. screening : the performance effects of temporary agency work strategies," Working papers 2012/03, Faculty of Business and Economics - University of Basel.
    2. Fiona MacPhail & Paul Bowles, 2008. "From Casual Work to Economic Security: The Case of British Columbia," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 88(1), pages 97-114, August.
    3. Tony Fang & Fiona MacPhail, 2008. "Transitions from Temporary to Permanent Work in Canada: Who Makes the Transition and Why?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 88(1), pages 51-74, August.

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