Contingent and Alternative Employment Examined by BLS — 1995-08-17

The considerable flexibility ingrained in the United States labor market has produced a variety of employment arrangements. The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor has completed the first special survey on workers in contingent jobs, that is, jobs which are structured to last only a limited period of time. Also collected in the survey was information on the number of workers in several alternative employment arrangements, such as those working for temporary help agencies or as independent contractors or "on call." The attached report examines the initial findings from that survey. Single copies of Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements, Report 900, are available from BLS, (202) 606-6378 or (202) 606-6373. The first special survey to produce estimates of the number of workers in contingent jobs, that is, jobs which are structured to last only a limited period of time, has been completed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.