Number of temporary employees paid by the organization during the reporting period.
Organizations should footnote details regarding the type of temporary employment provided, as well as all assumptions used. See usage guidance for further information.
This metric is intended to capture the number of temporary employees who worked for the organization at any point during the reporting period. For example, if an employee worked at some point during the reporting period but was not employed as of the end of the reporting period, such an individual should be counted under this metric.
Temporary employees include contracted (or subcontracted) employees, whether their contracts are written or oral; in any case, temporary employment is characterized by a predefined term: fixed-term contracts, project- or task-based contracts, and seasonal, intermittent, or casual work.
Relevant details to footnote regarding the type of temporary employment provided could include, among other things, the typical duration of temporary employees’ contracts and the breakdown between full- and part-time temporary employees.
Organizations are encouraged to report this metric in conjunction with Temporary Employee Hours Worked (OI8408). To align to the HIPSO (Harmonized Indicators for Private Sector Operations) indicator Construction Jobs (Temporary Construction), organizations may use this metric and calculate using it and Temporary Employee Hours Worked (OI8408) the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs. For more on this calculation, see Jobs in Directly Supported/Financed Enterprises (PI4874). In order to align with this HIPSO indicator, organizations should include all workers involved in the construction of any company assets, including those employed by third parties if they are working on-site; however, organizations should exclude construction workers if the organization itself is a construction or real estate company.
This metric is multi-dimensional with regard to the five dimensions of impact. It may help describe the WHO dimension when the stakeholder group represented by the metric is the stakeholder group targeted by the investment or organization. It may also help measure the HOW MUCH Scale dimension, which helps estimate the number of the targeted stakeholders experiencing the outcome. For more on the alignment of IRIS metrics to the five dimensions of impact, see IRIS+ and the Five Dimensions of Impact (https://iris.thegiin.org/document/iris-and-the-five-dimensions/). No single metric is sufficient to understand an impact; rather, metrics are selected as a set across all dimensions of impact. When possible, the selection of metrics to measure and describe the five dimensions should be based on best practice and evidence.
This metric has 1 related submetrics.
Metrics identified as "cross-category" are those that are relevant to any IRIS+ Impact Category or Impact Theme (i.e., these metrics are not specific to any particular industry/category or theme).
June 2022 - IRIS v5.3 Released (current version)
Immaterial change. Minor revision to usage guidance for clarity.
May 2021 - IRIS v5.2 Released
Immaterial change. Minor revision to usage guidance for clarity.
January 2020 - IRIS v5.1 Released
No change. Minor revision to usage guidance for clarity.
May 2019 - IRIS v5.0 Released
No change.
March 2016 - IRIS v4.0 Released
No change.
March 2014 - IRIS v3.0 Released
Immaterial change. Minor revision to definition language for clarity.
November 2011 - IRIS v2.2 Released
No change.
February 2011 - IRIS v2.1 Released
Material change. Metric modified to encompass total number of temporary workers employed during the reporting period.
September 2010 - IRIS v2.0 Released
Material change. Temporary Employees (OI9028) replaced Seasonal Employees (OE9) and Contracted Employees (OE10). Metrics combined to better express temporary worker levels.
September 2009 - IRIS v1.0 Released
New metric. Seasonal Employees (OE9) and Contracted Employees (OE10) was developed via the Original IRIS Working Group.
IRIS Metrics Work Better in Sets
To use IRIS metrics—and the resulting data—to understand impact performance, IRIS metrics should be used and analyzed in generally accepted sets and according to well-defined objectives. IRIS+ gives you access to generally accepted Core Metrics Sets aligned to common Impact Themes and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).