The Russell Sage Foundation and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation are pleased to announce the launch of a new research initiative on non-standard employment. This special initiative, which is part of RSF’s ongoing program on the Future of Work, will investigate the causes and consequences of the rise of alternative work arrangements, including temporary help agency workers, on-call workers, contract workers, and independent contractors or freelancers.

Recent studies suggest that employment in standard jobs has been declining relative to that in alternative work arrangements. Yet, we know little about how this change affects workers and their wages and working conditions. While some research finds that non-standard employment is associated with fewer hours and lower wages compared to standard employment in similar jobs, other non-standard jobs may be good ones, paying well and giving workers control over the terms and conditions of work, and flexibility in how the work is performed.

RSF and the Kellogg Foundation invite research proposals that will advance our understanding of the causes and consequences of changes in the nature of employment, including the definition and measurement of non-standard employment, the implications of the rise in non-standard employment for labor force participation, income security, economic growth and innovation, and the wellbeing of workers and families. 

View the call for proposals in full.