Liberalisering av reglene for midlertidige ansettelser: Hvorfor har virkningene uteblitt?

The article analyses Norwegian employers’ use of temporary contracts before and after fixed-term contracts on a ‘general basis’ were allowed in Norway in 2015, and discuss the results in view of a similar reform in Sweden 1997. Studying Norwegian employers’ temporary-hiring practices before and after the reform, interviews in seven sectors show that, in most instances, employers thought that the original rules and alternative forms of hiring provided sufficient flexibility. Furthermore, strict conditions/sanctions and strong opposition among unions, politicians and experts made the new option unattractive, while cyclical conditions contributed to weaker labour demand than after the reform in Sweden.