Numerical flexibility is commonly promoted as a driver of employment growth. However, contingent work is frequently associated with “bad jobs”, particularly for those in low skilled occupations. Agency work is a common and growing form of contingent work and is often promoted as a tool for...

This paper explores the relationship between temporary company affiliation and working conditions for a group of information technology workers. The problem is addressed through three competing discourses: a periphery discourse, a market discourse and a professional discourse. The analysis shows...

1. Temporary work, agencies and unfree labour : insecurity in the new world of work / Kendra Strauss and Judy Fudge -- 2. Selling flexibility : temporary staffing in a volatile economy / Nik Theodore and Jamie Peck -- 3. Power politics and precariousness : the regulation of temporary agency work...