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Pathways to work for low‐income workers: The effect of work in the temporary help industry
Author(s) -
Lane Julia,
Mikelson Kelly S.,
Sharkey Pat,
Wissoker Doug
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of policy analysis and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.898
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1520-6688
pISSN - 0276-8739
DOI - 10.1002/pam.10156
Subject(s) - disadvantaged , welfare , labour economics , work (physics) , temporary work , business , public assistance , public policy , demographic economics , economics , economic growth , engineering , market economy , mechanical engineering
This paper provides new evidence to inform the policy debate about the effect of a newly important industry—the temporary help industry—onthe labor market outcomes of low‐income workers and those workers who are at risk of being on public assistance. The core issue of whethertemporary help work harms the long‐term prospects of disadvantaged individuals depends critically on the alternatives available to the worker.Temporary employment results in labor market outcomes that are better than not working at all. For example, while nonemployed public assistancerecipients have only a 35 percent chance of being employed a year later, those who were in temporary employment have almost twice the likelihood of beingemployed in the same period. These findings, if correct, would support the use of temporary agencies by welfare programs. © 2003 by the Associationfor Public Policy Analysis and Management