Temporary employment has become a major concern in the last decades: it is seen as the result of the continuous changes in the working system around the world. The effects of temporary employment for the employees and the organization have not been established yet, because there are many variables that can affect the observed outcomes. This article addresses the literature about temporary employment to date: an overview of the main characteristics associated with temporary employment and the most recent empirical studies concerning the outcomes associated with temporary employment is presented. Furthermore, attention is drawn to temporary work research in Latin America, in order to establish the development of the field and the perspectivesfor future research.