na.devine wrote:
>Doug's comment is important despite his deprecation. If the U.S. bureau
>of statistics is correct, then traditional methods of organising labour
>(and of thinking labour) would still be working. They are not - here at
>least, and probably through the 'developed' world.
>
>What definitions of contingency did the Govt use in its statistics?
>Whosse ends did such a conclusion serve? Come on, Doug, this is
>pre-post-modern state-istics we are talking here.
Well, not exactly, since it's all in how you structure the
contingent-permanent binary, isn't it?
But since you asked, here's an excerpt from the report's introduction. The
full text is at <http://stats.bls.gov/news.release/conemp.toc.htm>. I saw a
study of New Zealand, by the way, that showed similarly low and declining
levels of contingency, much to the surprise of the surveyors; unfortunately
I've lost the reference.
Doug
----
Technical information: (202) 606-6378 USDL 97-422
For release: 10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact: 606-5902 Tuesday, December 2, 1997
CONTINGENT AND ALTERNATIVE EMPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS, FEBRUARY 1997
The proportion of U.S. workers who hold contingent jobs--basically
those jobs that are not expected to last--declined slightly in the 2 years
between February 1995 and February 1997, according to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Using three alternative estimates
(table A), contingent workers accounted for 1.9 to 4.4 percent of all
employment in February 1997; the range was 2.2 to 4.9 percent in February
1995. The analysis in this release is focused on the broadest estimate of
contingent workers.
During this 2-year period, there was little change in the proportions
of the employed who had alternative work arrangements--the 6.7 percent (8.5
million workers) who were identified as independent contractors, the 1.6
percent (2.0 million workers) who were on-call workers, the 1.0 percent
(1.3 million workers) who worked for temporary help agencies, and the 0.6
percent (800,000 workers) who worked for contract firms.
Alternative employment arrangements were identified separately from
the contingency of a job, and the proportions of employees in alternative
arrangements who considered their employment to be contingent ranged from
less than 4 percent for independent contractors to about 57 percent for
temporary help agency workers.
The findings on the characteristics of workers in contingent jobs and
in alternative work arrangements in February 1997 were similar to those in
the first survey 2 years before. The data were collected as a supplement
to the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly sample survey of about
50,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for BLS. A
description of the concepts and definitions used in the supplement is
presented in the Technical Note beginning on page 6. Some of the
highlights of the February 1997 survey follow.
--A total of 5.6 million workers held a contingent job under the broadest
estimate. They were younger than other workers; persons under the age of
25 made up about 30 percent of contingent workers, compared with about 13
percent of noncontingent workers. Contingent workers also were more likely
than noncontingent workers to be female.
--About 43 percent of contingent workers were employed part time (less than
35 hours a week), compared with only 18 percent of noncontingent workers.
Only 10 percent of all part-time workers were contingent, however.
--Characteristics of workers in alternative arrangements varied widely.
Independent contractors tended to be middle-aged men, for example, while
temporary help agency workers tended to be younger women.
--The majority (56 percent) of contingent workers would have preferred a
permanent job.
Table A. Contingent workers and workers in alternative arrangements
as a percent of total employment, February 1997
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Percent of
Definition and alternative estimates | total
of contingent workers | employed
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Contingent workers are those who do not have an
implicit or explicit contract for ongoing employ-
ment. Persons who do not expect to continue in
their jobs for personal reasons such as retirement
or returning to school are not considered contin-
gent workers, provided that they would have the
option of continuing in the job were it not for
these personal reasons.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Estimate 1 |
|
Wage and salary workers who expect their jobs will|
last for an additional year or less and who had |
worked at their jobs for 1 year or less. Self- |
employed workers and independent contractors are |
excluded from the estimate. For temporary help |
and contract workers, contingency is based on the |
expected duration and tenure of their employment |
with the temporary help or contract firm, not with|
the specific client to whom they were assigned | 1.9
|
Estimate 2 |
|
Workers including the self-employed and indepen- |
dent contractors who expect their employment to |
last for an additional year or less and who had |
worked at their jobs (or been self-employed) for 1|
year or less. For temporary help and contract |
workers, contingency is determined on the basis of|
the expected duration and tenure with the client |
to whom they are assigned, instead of their tenure|
with the temporary help or contract firm. | 2.4
|
Estimate 3 |
|
Workers who do not expect their jobs to last. Wage|
and salary workers are included even if they |
already had held the job for more than 1 year and |
expect to hold the job for at least an additional |
year. The self-employed and independent |
contractors are included if they expect their |
employment to last for an additional year or less |
and they had been self-employed or independent |
contractors for 1 year or less. | 4.4
|
--------------------------------------------------|
Type of alternative arrangement |
--------------------------------------------------|
|
Independent contractors |
Workers who were identified as independent |
contractors, independent consultants, or free- |
lance workers, whether they were self-employed or |
wage and salary workers. | 6.7
|
On-call workers |
Workers who are called to work only as needed, |
although they can be scheduled to work for several|
days or weeks in a row. | 1.6
|
Temporary help agency workers |
Workers who were paid by a temporary help agency, |
whether or not their job was temporary. | 1.0
|
Workers provided by contract firms |
Workers who are employed by a company that |
provides them or their services to others under |
contract, and who are usually assigned to only one|
customer and usually work at the customer's |
worksite. | .6
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[...]
>Doug's comment is important despite his deprecation. If the U.S. bureau
>of statistics is correct, then traditional methods of organising labour
>(and of thinking labour) would still be working. They are not - here at
>least, and probably through the 'developed' world.
>
>What definitions of contingency did the Govt use in its statistics?
>Whosse ends did such a conclusion serve? Come on, Doug, this is
>pre-post-modern state-istics we are talking here.
Well, not exactly, since it's all in how you structure the
contingent-permanent binary, isn't it?
But since you asked, here's an excerpt from the report's introduction. The
full text is at <http://stats.bls.gov/news.release/conemp.toc.htm>. I saw a
study of New Zealand, by the way, that showed similarly low and declining
levels of contingency, much to the surprise of the surveyors; unfortunately
I've lost the reference.
Doug
----
Technical information: (202) 606-6378 USDL 97-422
For release: 10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact: 606-5902 Tuesday, December 2, 1997
CONTINGENT AND ALTERNATIVE EMPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS, FEBRUARY 1997
The proportion of U.S. workers who hold contingent jobs--basically
those jobs that are not expected to last--declined slightly in the 2 years
between February 1995 and February 1997, according to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Using three alternative estimates
(table A), contingent workers accounted for 1.9 to 4.4 percent of all
employment in February 1997; the range was 2.2 to 4.9 percent in February
1995. The analysis in this release is focused on the broadest estimate of
contingent workers.
During this 2-year period, there was little change in the proportions
of the employed who had alternative work arrangements--the 6.7 percent (8.5
million workers) who were identified as independent contractors, the 1.6
percent (2.0 million workers) who were on-call workers, the 1.0 percent
(1.3 million workers) who worked for temporary help agencies, and the 0.6
percent (800,000 workers) who worked for contract firms.
Alternative employment arrangements were identified separately from
the contingency of a job, and the proportions of employees in alternative
arrangements who considered their employment to be contingent ranged from
less than 4 percent for independent contractors to about 57 percent for
temporary help agency workers.
The findings on the characteristics of workers in contingent jobs and
in alternative work arrangements in February 1997 were similar to those in
the first survey 2 years before. The data were collected as a supplement
to the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly sample survey of about
50,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for BLS. A
description of the concepts and definitions used in the supplement is
presented in the Technical Note beginning on page 6. Some of the
highlights of the February 1997 survey follow.
--A total of 5.6 million workers held a contingent job under the broadest
estimate. They were younger than other workers; persons under the age of
25 made up about 30 percent of contingent workers, compared with about 13
percent of noncontingent workers. Contingent workers also were more likely
than noncontingent workers to be female.
--About 43 percent of contingent workers were employed part time (less than
35 hours a week), compared with only 18 percent of noncontingent workers.
Only 10 percent of all part-time workers were contingent, however.
--Characteristics of workers in alternative arrangements varied widely.
Independent contractors tended to be middle-aged men, for example, while
temporary help agency workers tended to be younger women.
--The majority (56 percent) of contingent workers would have preferred a
permanent job.
Table A. Contingent workers and workers in alternative arrangements
as a percent of total employment, February 1997
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Percent of
Definition and alternative estimates | total
of contingent workers | employed
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Contingent workers are those who do not have an
implicit or explicit contract for ongoing employ-
ment. Persons who do not expect to continue in
their jobs for personal reasons such as retirement
or returning to school are not considered contin-
gent workers, provided that they would have the
option of continuing in the job were it not for
these personal reasons.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Estimate 1 |
|
Wage and salary workers who expect their jobs will|
last for an additional year or less and who had |
worked at their jobs for 1 year or less. Self- |
employed workers and independent contractors are |
excluded from the estimate. For temporary help |
and contract workers, contingency is based on the |
expected duration and tenure of their employment |
with the temporary help or contract firm, not with|
the specific client to whom they were assigned | 1.9
|
Estimate 2 |
|
Workers including the self-employed and indepen- |
dent contractors who expect their employment to |
last for an additional year or less and who had |
worked at their jobs (or been self-employed) for 1|
year or less. For temporary help and contract |
workers, contingency is determined on the basis of|
the expected duration and tenure with the client |
to whom they are assigned, instead of their tenure|
with the temporary help or contract firm. | 2.4
|
Estimate 3 |
|
Workers who do not expect their jobs to last. Wage|
and salary workers are included even if they |
already had held the job for more than 1 year and |
expect to hold the job for at least an additional |
year. The self-employed and independent |
contractors are included if they expect their |
employment to last for an additional year or less |
and they had been self-employed or independent |
contractors for 1 year or less. | 4.4
|
--------------------------------------------------|
Type of alternative arrangement |
--------------------------------------------------|
|
Independent contractors |
Workers who were identified as independent |
contractors, independent consultants, or free- |
lance workers, whether they were self-employed or |
wage and salary workers. | 6.7
|
On-call workers |
Workers who are called to work only as needed, |
although they can be scheduled to work for several|
days or weeks in a row. | 1.6
|
Temporary help agency workers |
Workers who were paid by a temporary help agency, |
whether or not their job was temporary. | 1.0
|
Workers provided by contract firms |
Workers who are employed by a company that |
provides them or their services to others under |
contract, and who are usually assigned to only one|
customer and usually work at the customer's |
worksite. | .6
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[...]