This paper examines how recruitment practices have shaped the increasing incidence of casual work in manufacturing firms. The growth of casual employment is seen as an outcome of recruitment practices developed to meet internal labour demands in the context of changing labour regulations and changing relationships between firms and the labour market. This paper highlights the heterogeneous nature of casual jobs, identifying six forms of casual
employment each with different purposes, causes and longer term labour market implications. While casual employment is a function of 'demand-side' factors, the recruitment strategies that stimulale its growth are formed through managers' perceptions of the quality and reliability of the available labour supply.