Securing Organizational Commitment Among Contingent Labor: The Moderating Effects of Organizational Tenure, Pay-For-Performance Practices, Socioeconomic Status Mobility, and Direct Hire

Contingent workers represent a strategically valuable segment of human capital, yet organizations often struggle to fully harness their potential. Drawing on social exchange theory, career development theory, and expectancy theory, this study investigates how employment status affects organizational commitment and identifies four contextual boundary conditions that may moderate this relationship: organizational tenure, direct hiring, pay-for-performance (PFP) practices, and perceived socioeconomic status (SES) mobility. Using longitudinal data from 6,202 respondents in the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study (KLIPS, 2005-2023), we find that contingent workers exhibit significantly lower organizational commitment than permanent employees. This gap is notably wider among those with shorter tenure, in the absence of PFP practices, and when perceived SES mobility is low. Notably, the distinction between direct and indirect hiring does not produce significant differences in commitment, suggesting that employment arrangements alone may not shape attitudinal outcomes. These findings advance our understanding of the nuanced mechanisms that condition the attitudes of nonstandard workers and highlight the importance of contextual design in managing contingent workers. The study contributes to human resource management (HRM) and labor relations literature and offers practical insights for improving engagement and retention strategies for contingent workers.