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Isolating the Determinants of Temporary Agency Worker Use by Firms: An Analysis of Temporary Agency Workers in Australian Aged Care

Author

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  • Genevieve Knight

    (Flinders University)

  • Zhang Wei

    (Flinders University)

Abstract

Despite a reasonable amount of literature on firms’ reasons for using agency workers we contend that the firms which are users of agency workers are not well understood. Temporary agency work is interesting in the context of understanding the functioning of labour markets. Temporary agency work is of particular interest in Australia which already has a high level of casual employment offering employers considerable flexibility in managing their workforce by other means. We use a unique Australian employer survey in an industry with a higher than usual share of agency workers in the constrained worker supply context, to highlight and explore the differentiating features between those firms that do and do not use agency workers. The analysis enables better identification of the economic conditions under which firms use agency workers. We gain insight into aspects of the aged care sector that encourage temporary agency worker usage by firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Genevieve Knight & Zhang Wei, 2015. "Isolating the Determinants of Temporary Agency Worker Use by Firms: An Analysis of Temporary Agency Workers in Australian Aged Care," Australian Journal of Labour Economics (AJLE), Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC), Curtin Business School, vol. 18(2), pages 205-237.
    • Handle: RePEc:ozl:journl:v:18:y:2015:i:2:p:205-237
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Temporary agency workers; Labour demand; Forms of employment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • J40 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - General

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