Fixed-term contracts are becoming more used instead of the traditional model of open-ended
employment. The authors examine the influence of institutional and organizational
factors on the use of fixed-term contracts in Russia, with data from a survey covering
3 313 enterprises(2) for the years 2009 to 2011. Probit and Tobit regressions are
used to test several hypotheses derived from the literature. The results indicate
that state-owned and unionised enterprises arc more likely to use fixed-term contracts,
and a high level of perceived dismissal protection for permanent workers is positively
associated with the use of fixed-term contracts. Both the incidence and the intensity
of fixed-term contracts are lower at enterprises with flexible wages. Among the organizational
factors, the presence of workers with a tenure of 5-10 years and high job complexity
arc negatively related with the use fixed-term contracts.
