Good data on the size and composition of the independent contractor workforce are elusive, with household survey and administrative tax data often disagreeing on levels and trends. We carried out a series of focus groups to learn how self-employed independent contractors speak about their work....

We estimate the effects of manufacturers' use of employment services comprised primarily of temporary help and professional employer organizations on measured employment and labor productivity in manufacturing between 1989 and 2004. A major contribution of the paper is the construction of panel...

Recent studies have documented the growth of earnings inequality in the United States during the 1980s. In contrast to these studies' findings, our analysis of micro data for the former West Germany yields virtually no evidence of growth in earnings inequality over the same period. Between 1978...

Laws in most Western European countries give workers strong job rights, including the right to advance notice of layoff and the right to severance pay or other compensation if laid off. Many of these same countries also encourage hours adjustment in lieu of layoffs by providing prorated...

The high incidence of temporary agency employment among participants in government employment programs has catalyzed debate about whether these jobs help the poor transition into stable employment and out of poverty. We provide direct evidence on this question through analysis of a Michigan...

Introduction -- The change in work arrangements in Denmark and Germany -- Regulatory convergence? -- Nonstandard work in Italy and Spain -- Nonstandard work arrangements in France and the United States -- The growth of nonstandard employment in Japan and the United States -- Employment choices...