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Professional Employer Organizations: What Are They, Who Uses Them and Why Should We Care?

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  • Britton Lombardi
  • Yukako Ono

Abstract

More and more U.S. workers are counted as employees of firms that they do not actually work for. Among such workers are those who staffed by temporary help service (THS) agencies and leased employees who are on the payroll of professional employment organizations (PEOs) but work for PEOs’ client firms. While several papers study firms’ use of THS services, few examine firms’ use of PEO services. In this article, we summarize PEOs’ business practices and examine how the intensity of their use varies across industries, geographic areas, and establishment characteristics using both public and confidential data.

Suggested Citation

  • Britton Lombardi & Yukako Ono, 2010. "Professional Employer Organizations: What Are They, Who Uses Them and Why Should We Care?," Working Papers 10-22, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    • Handle: RePEc:cen:wpaper:10-22
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Yukako Ono & Daniel Sullivan, 2013. "Manufacturing Plants' Use of Temporary Workers: An Analysis Using Census Microdata," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(2), pages 419-443, April.
    2. Marcello Estevao & Saul Lach, 1999. "Measuring temporary labor outsourcing in U.S. manufacturing," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 1999-57, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    3. Gilley, K. Matthew & Greer, Charles R. & Rasheed, Abdul A., 2004. "Human resource outsourcing and organizational performance in manufacturing firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 57(3), pages 232-240, March.
    4. Greening, Daniel W. & Barringer, Bruce R. & Macy, Granger, 1996. "A qualitative study of managerial challenges facing small business geographic expansion," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 11(4), pages 233-256, July.
    5. Lewis M. Segal & Daniel G. Sullivan, 1997. "The Growth of Temporary Services Work," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 11(2), pages 117-136, Spring.
    6. Brian S. Klaas & John Mcclendon & Thomas W. Gainey, 2000. "Managing HR in the Small and Medium Enterprise: The Impact of Professional Employer Organizations," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 25(1), pages 107-124, October.
    7. Susan N. Houseman, 2001. "The Benefits Implications of Recent Trends in Flexible Staffing Arrangements," Upjohn Working Papers 02-87, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
    8. Susan Houseman, 2006. "Outsourcing, Offshoring, and Productivity Measurement in Manufacturing," Upjohn Working Papers 06-130, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
    9. Matthew Dey & Susan Houseman & Anne Polivka, 2006. "Manufacturers' Outsourcing to Employment Services," Upjohn Working Papers 07-132, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
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    Cited by:

    1. Peter Cappelli & J. R. Keller, 2012. "A Study of the Extent and Potential Causes of Alternative Employment Arrangements," NBER Working Papers 18376, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Peter H. Cappelli & JR Keller, 2013. "A Study of the Extent and Potential Causes of Alternative Employment Arrangements," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 66(4), pages 874-901, July.
    3. Katharine G. Abraham & John C. Haltiwanger & Kristin Sandusky & James R. Spletzer, 2017. "Measuring the Gig Economy: Current Knowledge and Open Issues," NBER Chapters, in: Measuring and Accounting for Innovation in the Twenty-First Century, pages 257-298, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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