FROM THE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS SYSTEM
Previously, we grouped temporary and informal workers together. While these groups do share some characteristics, they tend to have different socioeconomic backgrounds and skill sets. Their shared characteristics include:
- Volatile and non-continuous pay
- High turnover
- Varying employment periods
- Temporary relationship with a given employer.
These characteristics all make providing access to retirement funds and risk benefits extremely tricky. Temporary or contract workers include fixed-term contractors, project contractors and casual workers who work no more than 24 hours in a month.
New insights
Proposed amendments to the Labour Relations Act require any fixed-term contractor employed for more than three months to receive the same benefits as permanent employees. This has significant implications for companies with large numbers of temporary employees, such as those in the retail and wholesale sector.
