Fixed-Term Employment and Occupational Position in Poland

The Heterogeneity of Temporary Jobs

Bibliographic Data

ID2236043
AuthorsAnna Kiersztyn (0000-0001-8112-6059, University of Warsaw, corresponding author)
Year2016
Volume32
Issue6
Pages881-894
Publication date2016-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEuropean Sociological Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0266-7215 • E-ISSN: 1468-2672
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/esr/jcw044
OpenAlexW2516769361
LanguageEN
Citations received19
References cited37

Occupational heterogeneity in non-standard employment is an important and policy-relevant topic of investigation, and one which has not received sufficient attention. The main thesis of this article is that the function of fixed-term contracts, which in turn affects the situation and career prospects of employees, is dependent on occupation. Using data from European Survey of Income and Living Conditions, 2005–2008, I investigate the heterogeneities among fixed-term employees in various occupational categories in Poland, by analysing differences in (i) the demographic and socio-economic composition of temporary workers, (ii) the size of the wage penalty for fixed-term employment, and (iii) the chances of transition from fixed-term into open-ended employment. The results suggest that in managerial and professional occupations temporary contracts are more likely to be used during trial periods for newly hired workers and may serve as stepping stones to stable jobs, as reflected by the higher rates of mobility into open-ended employment. Temporary jobs in low-status service and manual occupations appear to result mainly from employers’ attempts to facilitate worker dismissal rather than their need to verify the skills of new employees, and are more likely to become a dead end for workers. However, although fixed-term workers in higher-status occupations seem to be better off than their counterparts in services, trade, and manual labour, the evidence does not support the claim that the former resemble the so-called ‘boundaryless’ employees, who suffer no negative consequences of their fixed-term status.

Business · Demographic economics · Dismissal · Economics · Labour economics · Political science · Position (finance) · Service (business) · Term (time) · Wage · Employment and Welfare Studies · Labor market dynamics and wage inequality · Marketing · Retirement, Disability, and Employment

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