First, the insider–outsider idea (standard vs. non-standard employment: Kalleberg 2003) stems from the aforementioned segmentation Selleck GSK872 theories, which divide the labour market into core and peripheral workers (Atkinson 1984; Becker 1993; Hudson 2007). Core workers possess job-specific skills and are therefore hard to replace and thus important to their company. In order to tie these workers to their organisation, employers must offer them high-quality employment, including learning opportunities, job security and a proper salary (Hudson 2007). In contrast, employers do not need to tie the less important and more easily replaceable peripheral workers

to their organisation. Consequently, these workers receive less attractive working conditions and lower earnings than primary

segment workers. Secondly and related to segmentation theories, temporary employment is expected to include more adverse job characteristics than permanent work (De Cuyper et al. 2008; De Witte and Näswall 2003). For example, temporary work has been associated with worse ergonomic conditions, lower earnings, less autonomy, less supervisory tasks, a higher dynamic work load, more repetitive tasks, monotonous work, less training opportunities and exposure to discrimination (Brown and Sessions 2003; De Cuyper et al. 2008; Goudswaard and Andries 2002; Kompier et al. 2009; Layte et al. 2008; Letourneux 1998; buy LY2874455 Parent-Thirion et al. 2007); but also often with (indicators

of) lower task demands (De Cuyper and De Witte 2006; next Goudswaard and Andries 2002; Kompier et al. 2009; Letourneux 1998; Parker et al. 2002). Based on theories on well-designed ‘healthy’ work (Kompier 2003), it can be expected that such characteristics (e.g. combinations of high [but also low] demands and low control, low feedback, low support and high job insecurity) adversely impact workers’ health, well-being and work-related attitudes. Temporary employment and job insecurity A third perspective focuses on the impact of job insecurity on temporary workers’ health and well-being. Job insecurity, which increases with the temporality of the job (De Cuyper et al. 2008), implies uncertainty and thus unpredictability and uncontrollability. This can be linked to central elements of job stress theories (e.g. environmental clarity and lack of control) (De Witte 1999). Moreover, according to Jahoda’s (1982) latent deprivation model, employment is central to many people’s lives as it fulfils important needs as income, social contacts and opportunities for self-improvement. Threat and worry about job loss thus include potential loss of important resources and may therefore have many negative consequences for the worker check details involved (De Witte 1999).