New contractual relationships in the agency worker market: the case of the UK's National Health Service

Kim Hoque, Ian Kirkpatrick, Alexander de Ruyter, Chris Lonsdale

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a trend towards the negotiation of closer contractual relationships between employers and employment agencies. However, little is known about this change or its likely consequences. In theory, such relationships can benefit employers by lowering fees and also reducing many of the hidden costs associated with the use of agency staff by improving the effectiveness of placement matching. Against this is the suggestion that formal partnerships are unlikely to have a positive impact given the uncertainty of demand for temporary labour and broader tendencies for risk displacement in buyer–supplier networks. In this article, our aim is to explore this matter focusing on recent developments in the UK's National Health Service.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)389–412
Number of pages23
JournalBritish Journal of Industrial Relations
Volume46
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2008

Keywords

  • agency worker market
  • employment agencies
  • National Health Service

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'New contractual relationships in the agency worker market: the case of the UK's National Health Service'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this