A growing number of euworkers.fr workers are on temporary contracts. This is a result of the growth of large retailers in France, which replaced many small shops and artisanal workshops, as well as the emergence of new professions that are specialized in the food sector or agro-industry. The spread of industrial-scale woodwork and furniture factories has also replaced the work of artisans (petits tradesmen) in some areas.
Workers on permanent contracts still represent a majority of salaried employees, but their proportion has fallen over the last decade. Moreover, a significant share of the employment gap between these two categories remains unexplained. Temporary workers are less likely to receive on-the-job training and have a lower probability of moving into a stable job. Their career trajectory is influenced by the duration of their contracts and the frequency of their renewals. In addition, their employment is more vulnerable to economic shocks.
Temporary Work and Social Welfare Benefits: Understanding the French System
In the context of these trends, this article aims to depict workers on temporary contracts and explore the influence of their ingroup identification. It analyses the contested development of temporary employment agencies in France using a variegated capitalism conceptual framework and charts their role in constructing a distinctive agency labour sector and regulatory environment, despite wide-scale cultural, political and union opposition. It also outlines the impact of these determinants on attitudinal and behavioural outcomes.