Young Adults in the Swedish Temporary Agency Sector: Implications of Family Experience

A person’s first experience of working life is not the individual’s actual first job, but rather the perception conveyed by their family and other reference groups. Using Swedish register data on young adults (aged 18-34), and controlling for personal characteristics, we find that individuals with family members or partners with work experience from the temporary agency sector are highly over-represented in the sector. The peer groups’ previous experience is also found to be among the most influential variables determining the relative probability that an individual will work in the temporary agency sector.