Background
Staffing agency work constitutes a small but growing part of the labour market in Norway, as in similar OECD economies. The shares vary considerably across sectors, and they are particularly high in some industries, such as construction, and among some demographic groups. Although staffing agency work is common in all OECD countries, there is limited empirical and theoretical knowledge about the economic role it plays, and the public debate about temporary employment agencies is polarized. One reason why we know less about the role of staffing agencies is that common data sources for labour market knowledge do not include information on the place of assignment of staffing agency workers.
Objective
The main objective of our project is to fill some of these knowledge gaps. To do this, we are bringing together a multidisciplinary research team with experts in quantitative and qualitative analyses, macroeconomic modelling and legal analysis.
Approach
We use a unique combination of population-wide register data covering all Norwegian businesses and employees matched with data from large staffing agencies operating in Norway, which has not previously been used for research. We complement the quantitative analyses with qualitative interviews with temporary employment agencies and synthesize our knowledge using theoretical, macroeconomic and legal perspectives.
See also
The Norwegian Institute for Social Research has a number of projects that investigate teams related to atypical labour markets. See, among others:
- Developments in alternative work arrangements (2024–2028),
- EU labor immigration and the organization of work (2023–2027),
- Follow-up evaluation of new provisions on hiring from staffing agencies (2023–2026),
- Alternative work arrangements and worker welfare (ALTWORK) (2021–2025),
- Developments in alternative work arrangements (2021–2023) and
- Temporary employment and groups with a weak attachment to the labour market (2016–2017)
Privacy Policy Guidance
This project utilizes personal data from individuals who are difficult to contact for the purpose of providing individual information. The data is processed for research purposes, and the legal basis for the processing is the public interest. The project involves the use of ordinary personal data and special categories of personal data, including data revealing health data, racial or ethnic origin and trade union membership. The data is obtained from the following sources: Statistics Norway (SSB) and national data collections. In collaborative research projects, datasets may also be shared with external project participants and their affiliated institutions.
The legality and privacy implications of the personal data processing have been assessed prior to the commencement of the project, which adheres to ethical guidelines for research. The Institute for Social Research is the data controller for the project.
Individuals who can be identified in the dataset have rights and may lodge complaints regarding the processing. Please feel free to contact our Data Protection Officer, the project manager, or the Norwegian Institute for Social Research if you have any questions or require guidance.
