Abstract
Using comprehensive balance-sheet data for Spain, we document the use of fixed-term and open-ended contracts by firms over the period 2004-2019. We show that the use of temporary contracts is very heterogeneous across firms, with the distribution of the temporary share being severely right-skewed: the median share of temporary employment is only 3%, while the average is 18%. Part of this variation is related to the sector and region where firms operate as well as to the macroeconomic cycle. However, around 80% of the variation reflects differences across firms operating in the same industry, in the same location and at the same point of the business cycle. At the individual level, even after controlling for sector and region, we observe that larger and younger firms make more extensive use of temporary contracts.