ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes research findings on temporary employment and the psychological contract. It begins with a number of general considerations on the heterogeneity of the temporary workforce, as well as on comparability across countries. Similarly, theoretical considerations of the concept of the psychological contract are introduced. The psychological contract refers to 'perceptions of reciprocal expectations and obligations implied in the employment relationship'. Temporary employment is mostly treated as a sociological and economic phenomenon, with studies focusing respectively on its evolution and its advantages and disadvantages for the different parties involved. In psychological research, permanent employment dominates the research agenda. There are some indications of mediation also by the content of the psychological contract, though not specific to the context of temporary employment. De Witte and Van Hecke found that the psychological contract mediates the relationship between job insecurity and job satisfaction.
