Temporary workers are happier and healthier than those in permanent positions, suggesting they are not an exploited minority as is commonly held, a university has claimed.
A King's College London study of British employees, 25% of whom are working on temporary contracts, reveals that almost double the number of permanent staff than temps claim their work causes anxiety and makes them depressed.
Temp workers also displayed more job satisfaction, fewer absences due to sickness and claimed better overall general health than their permanent counterparts.
The UK-based survey was part of a coordinated pan-European study in which the results were similar in the other seven countries polled, including those such as Germany, which has a much higher rate of unemployment than the UK.
"Two key factors need to be considered," said Professor David Guest, director of the UK research. "The first is that permanent workers are more likely to feel that their psychological contract with their employer has been in some way violated and this affects their well-being.
"Secondly, it is not so much that temporary jobs are good, but that permanent jobs have got worse. People are working harder, they have less freedom at work and there is a general decline in job satisfaction."
Guest said the findings suggest that legislation aimed at improving the quality of jobs for temporary workers must be reapplied to improve the working conditions for all employees.
