Job motivations of professional and technical contingent workers: Are they different from permanent workers?

In the United States and Europe, the fastest growing segments of the temporary or contingent workforce have been in professional and technical fields. Yet little is known of the motivations of these workers. Accordingly, the authors administered the Hackman and Oldham (1980) Job Diagnostic Survey to professional and technical contingent and permanent employees of a major U.S. telecommunications company. Contingent workers had higher motivation potential scores, scored significantly higher in task identity and feedback from the job, and scored higher in combined need strength than did the permanent workers. The findings suggest that contingents can be a rich source of motivated workers.