All across Philadelphia’s workplaces—our stadiums, hotels, factories, professional offices, schools, warehouses, long-term care facilities, construction sites and beyond—there is more than meets the eye. Workers doing the same job, in the same place, with the same skill level, are divided into “permanent” and “temporary” workers. In this two-tiered employment system, temporary workers, or temp workers, are relegated to jobs without the same pay, job stability, benefits or even safety protocols as their direct-hire counterparts. This inequality impacts Black workers and their families, because, according to research from across the country,  Black workers are overrepresented in the temporary workforce. Meanwhile, the temporary staffing industry is booming and its workers continue to be invisibilized, largely due to the race and class of the workers and the lack of regulation and organized worker power in the industry.

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This report describes the state of temp work in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania and offers recommendations for how regulators and lawmakers can intervene to ensure temp workers have access to safe, reliable, and equitable jobs. 

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