1 Analysis of the determinants of Temporary employment in 19 European countries

This paper studies the determinants of temporary employment in 19 European countries using data from the European Social Survey. The analysis shows that temporary employment is more feminized. Fixed term employment appears conversely connected with the age, which supports the fact that temporary employment seems to become the stepping stone to permanent jobs. In addition, temporary employees appear to work less than permanent workers with reference to working time, which reduced relatively their potential wages. Moreover, the probability of being in a fixed term contract is negatively correlated with the trade-union membership. However, non-permanent workers seem to be more favourable than permanent employees for the necessity of having strong trade unions, even if atypical employment is often associated with a less trade-union presence on the place of work. From another hand, past unemployment is likely to reduce considerably the chance to be re-employed on a contract of unspecified duration. Finally, estimates from a bivariate probit show that part time employment concerns more frequently citizens of the country while fixed term employment is more devoted to immigrants. However, some points of convergence characterize part-time and fixed-term’ contracts. Women are more frequently associated with these two kinds of flexibility. Nonetheless, part-time employment is more feminized than fixed-term contract. Age acts in the same sense, but fixed-term workers are younger than part-time workers. In the two cases, domicile location has no impact on probability to work in part-time or in fixed-term contrac