The experience of employment strain and activation among temporary agency workers in Canada

This article integrates the employment strain model with the social stress model in order to reveal the mechanisms that explain the relation between precarious employment and mental well-being. This model is applied to the case of temporary agency employment by analysing 41 in-depth interviews with temporary agency workers from Canada. The results show how temporary agency workers perceive employment-related uncertainties and efforts mainly as negative and to a lesser extent as positive experiences, respectively evoking strain or activation. Further, it is revealed how uncertainties and efforts mutually reinforce each other, which increases strain, and how support can serve as a buffer.This work is supported by a research grant [FWO1.1.B13.12N] and a travel grant [V4.018.14N] assigned to the first author by the Research Foundation Flanders. The data collection is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and by funds made available by McMaster University and United Way Toronto.Peer Reviewe