New Jersey residents pay more than $20 million per year to subsidize health care for temporary workers denied the same benefits that permanent, full-time employees get, according to an analysis by a Rutgers University researcher.
The analysis — “Passing the Buck: Temporary Staffing Agencies’ Utilization of NJ FamilyCare” — is unreservedly critical of the conditions temp workers face. Although its calculations focus on the use of public health care, the report also references “unsafe working conditions and rampant wage theft,” low pay for temporary employees and a common policy of charging temp workers for agency-provided transportation to work sites.