Job satisfaction across Europe: An analysis of the heterogeneous temporary workforce in 27 countries

Abstract

The consequences of temporary jobs for job satisfaction are not clear. This article examines the effect of two crucial moderators in the association between temporary contracts and job satisfaction: the reason for being a temporary worker and the duration of temporary contracts. Using the ad-hoc module of the 2017 EU Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS), this study examines 27 European countries separately. Results show that involuntary temporary workers (those who wanted a permanent contract but could not find one) tend to be less satisfied than permanent employees. However, voluntary temporary workers (those who prefer temporary over permanent jobs) and temporary workers in apprenticeships or probation periods are generally as satisfied as permanent employees. Shorter contracts frequently exert negative effects on job satisfaction, but only among involuntary temporary workers. Results differ between countries: the differences between temporary and permanent workers are insignificant in Scandinavian countries but large in the post-Socialist states. © The Author(s) 2022.

Keywords

Author Keywords

job satisfaction Contract duration involuntary temporary work temporary work voluntary temporary work

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations

Université de Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, VD, Switzerland

Funding & Acknowledgements

National Centres of Competence in Research SwissMAP

Funding text 1: The authors would like to thank Andr\u00E9 Berchtold, Daniel Oesch, Debra Hevenstone, Guy Elcheroth, Kevin Emery, Jad Moawad, Joanna Karmowska, Stephanie Steinmetz, and the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and valuable contributions, which helped to improve this article in multiple aspects. The authors are grateful to the Swiss National Science Foundation for its financial assistance. This publication benefited from the support of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES \u2013 Overcoming vulnerability: Life course perspectives (NCCR LIVES), which is financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant number: 51NF40-185901).; Funding text 2: This publication benefited from the support of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES \u2013 Overcoming vulnerability: Life course perspectives (NCCR LIVES), which is financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant number: 51NF40-185901).

National Centre of Competence in Research Robotics

Funding text 1: The authors would like to thank Andr\u00E9 Berchtold, Daniel Oesch, Debra Hevenstone, Guy Elcheroth, Kevin Emery, Jad Moawad, Joanna Karmowska, Stephanie Steinmetz, and the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and valuable contributions, which helped to improve this article in multiple aspects. The authors are grateful to the Swiss National Science Foundation for its financial assistance. This publication benefited from the support of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES \u2013 Overcoming vulnerability: Life course perspectives (NCCR LIVES), which is financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant number: 51NF40-185901).; Funding text 2: This publication benefited from the support of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES \u2013 Overcoming vulnerability: Life course perspectives (NCCR LIVES), which is financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant number: 51NF40-185901).

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, SNF

Grant: 185901, 51NF40-185901

Funding text 1: The authors would like to thank Andr\u00E9 Berchtold, Daniel Oesch, Debra Hevenstone, Guy Elcheroth, Kevin Emery, Jad Moawad, Joanna Karmowska, Stephanie Steinmetz, and the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and valuable contributions, which helped to improve this article in multiple aspects. The authors are grateful to the Swiss National Science Foundation for its financial assistance. This publication benefited from the support of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES \u2013 Overcoming vulnerability: Life course perspectives (NCCR LIVES), which is financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant number: 51NF40-185901).; Funding text 2: This publication benefited from the support of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES \u2013 Overcoming vulnerability: Life course perspectives (NCCR LIVES), which is financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant number: 51NF40-185901).

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Job satisfaction across Europe: An analysis of the heterogeneous temporary workforce in 27 countries

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