IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ptu/wpaper/w200410.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Matching Workers to Jobs in the Fast Lane: the Operation of Fixed-term Contracts

Author

Listed:
  • Pedro Portugal
  • José Varejão

Abstract

In this paper we look at fixed-term contracts and examine the main features of temporary as opposed to regular employment, keeping the focus on employment careers and wage dynamics of workers employed under fixed-term contracts. Previous work found that fixed-term contracts serve as screening devices for employers. Here it is found that fixed-term contracts serve as search devices for workers, as well. Hence, they can be considered steppingstones to permanent forms of employment. However, if due to a job loss episode, a worker receives at some evolved stage of his or her career a fixed-term contract, there is an indication that both his wage and subsequent employment prospects are severely harmed.

Suggested Citation

  • Pedro Portugal & José Varejão, 2004. "Matching Workers to Jobs in the Fast Lane: the Operation of Fixed-term Contracts," Working Papers w200410, Banco de Portugal, Economics and Research Department.
    • Handle: RePEc:ptu:wpaper:w200410
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.bportugal.pt/sites/default/files/anexos/papers/wp200410.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alison L. Booth & Marco Francesconi & Jeff Frank, 2002. "Temporary Jobs: Stepping Stones Or Dead Ends?," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 112(480), pages 189-213, June.
    2. Susan N. Houseman, 2001. "Why Employers Use Flexible Staffing Arrangements: Evidence from an Establishment Survey," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 55(1), pages 149-170, October.
    3. Henry S. Farber, 1999. "Alternative and Part-Time Employment Arrangements as a Response to Job Loss," NBER Working Papers 7002, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Pedro Portugal & José Varejão, 2022. "Why do firms use fixed-term contracts?," Portuguese Economic Journal, Springer;Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestao, vol. 21(3), pages 401-421, September.
    5. Helen Connolly & Peter Gottschalk, 2000. "Stepping-stone Jobs: Theory and Evidence," Boston College Working Papers in Economics 427, Boston College Department of Economics, revised 02 Apr 2001.
    6. O Blanchard & A Landier, 2002. "The Perverse Effects of Partial Labour Market Reform: fixed--Term Contracts in France," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 112(480), pages 214-244, June.
    7. Maia Güell & Barbara Petrongolo, 2000. "Workers Transitions from Temporary to Permanent Employment: the Spanish Case," CEP Discussion Papers dp0438, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    8. Farber, Henry S, 1999. "Alternative and Part-Time Employment Arrangements as a Response to Job Loss," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 17(4), pages 142-169, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Pedro Portugal & John T. Addison, 2008. "Six Ways To Leave Unemployment," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 55(4), pages 393-419, September.
    2. Oivind A. Nilsen & Joao M. Ejarque, 2007. "Identifying Adjustment Costs of Net and Gross Employment Changes," 2007 Meeting Papers 670, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    3. Ejarque, Joao & Portugal, Pedro, 2007. "Labor Adjustment Costs in a Panel of Establishments: A Structural Approach," IZA Discussion Papers 3091, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Altan Aldan & Muhammet Enes Çıraklı, 2022. "Restrictions on temporary employment and informality among young: evidence from Turkey," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 55(3), pages 1481-1496, August.
    5. Marta Silva & Luis Filipe Martins & Helena Lopes, 2015. "Asymmetric labour market reforms and wage growth with fixed-term contracts: does learning about match quality matter?," Working Papers Series 2 15-04, ISCTE-IUL, Business Research Unit (BRU-IUL).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Barbara Petrongolo, 2004. "Gender Segregation in Employment Contracts," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 2(2-3), pages 331-345, 04/05.
    2. Matteo, PICCHIO, 2006. "Wage Differentials and Temporary Jobs in Italy," Discussion Papers (ECON - Département des Sciences Economiques) 2006033, Université catholique de Louvain, Département des Sciences Economiques.
    3. Mourre, Gilles & Buddelmeyer, Hielke & Ward-Warmedinger, Melanie, 2005. "Part-time work in EU countries: labour market mobility, entry and exit," Working Paper Series 460, European Central Bank.
    4. McGinnity, Frances & Mertens, Antje, 2002. "Fixed-term contracts in East and West Germany: Low wages, poor prospects?," SFB 373 Discussion Papers 2002,72, Humboldt University of Berlin, Interdisciplinary Research Project 373: Quantification and Simulation of Economic Processes.
    5. José Antonio Ariza Montes, 2008. "La estabilidad laboral en Andalucía: un análisis comparado entre hombres y mujeres mediante un modelo de regresión logística," Economic Working Papers at Centro de Estudios Andaluces E2008/06, Centro de Estudios Andaluces.
    6. Matteo Picchio, 2012. "The Dynamics of Unemployment, Temporary and Permanent Employment in Italy," AIEL Series in Labour Economics, in: Tindara Addabbo & Giovanni Solinas (ed.), Non-Standard Employment and Quality of Work. The Case of Italy, edition 1, chapter 7, pages 127-147, AIEL - Associazione Italiana Economisti del Lavoro.
    7. Matteo PICCHIO, 2006. "Temporary Jobs and State Dependence in Italy," Working Papers 272, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche (I), Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche e Sociali.
    8. Matteo PICCHIO, 2006. "Wage Differentials between Temporary and Permanent Workers in Italy," Working Papers 257, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche (I), Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche e Sociali.
    9. Alison L. Booth & Marco Francesconi & Jeff Frank, 2002. "Temporary Jobs: Stepping Stones Or Dead Ends?," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 112(480), pages 189-213, June.
    10. Kabátek, Jan & Liang, Ying & Zheng, Kun, 2023. "Are shorter cumulative temporary contracts worse stepping stones? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    11. Hielke Buddelmeyer & Gilles Mourre & Melanie Ward, 2004. "The determinants of part-time work in EU countries: empirical investigations with macro-panel data - Hielke Buddelmeyer, Gilles Mourre and Melanie Ward," European Economy - Economic Papers 2008 - 2015 213, Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), European Commission.
    12. Buddelmeyer, Hielke & Mourre, Gilles & Ward-Warmedinger, Melanie E., 2004. "The Determinants of Part-Time Work in EU Countries: Empirical Investigations with Macro-Panel Data," IZA Discussion Papers 1361, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    13. Olga Kuzmina, 2023. "Employment Flexibility and Capital Structure: Evidence from a Natural Experiment," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 69(9), pages 4992-5017, September.
    14. David H. Autor & Susan N. Houseman, 2010. "Do Temporary-Help Jobs Improve Labor Market Outcomes for Low-Skilled Workers? Evidence from "Work First"," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(3), pages 96-128, July.
    15. Francesco Devicienti & Paolo Naticchioni & Andrea Ricci, 2018. "Temporary Employment, Demand Volatility, and Unions: Firm-Level Evidence," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 71(1), pages 174-207, January.
    16. Marta Silva & Luis Filipe Martins & Helena Lopes, 2015. "Asymmetric labour market reforms and wage growth with fixed-term contracts: does learning about match quality matter?," Working Papers Series 2 15-04, ISCTE-IUL, Business Research Unit (BRU-IUL).
    17. Alonso-Borrego, César & Fernández-Villaverde, Jesús & Galdon-Sanchez, Jose Enrique, 2004. "Evaluating Labor Market Reforms: A General Equilibrium Approach," IZA Discussion Papers 1129, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. IKEUCHI Kenta & FUKAO Kyoji & Cristiano PERUGINI, 2021. "Establishment Size, Workforce Composition and the College Wage Gap in Japan," Discussion papers 21022, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    19. Smirnykh, Larisa & Wörgötter, Andreas, 2019. "The importance of institutional and organizational characteristics for the use of fixed-term contracts in Russia," Journal of East European Management Studies, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 24(1), pages 89-121.
    20. Francesco Devicienti & Paolo Naticchioni & Andrea Ricci, 2015. "How Do Demand Volatility And Unions Affect Temporary Employment? A Firm-Level Approach," Working Papers 0415, CREI Università degli Studi Roma Tre, revised 2015.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ptu:wpaper:w200410. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: DEE-NTD (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/bdpgvpt.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.