This Canadian Press story looks at how contracting out positions is being increasingly embraced by businesses -- but how it may be merely moving certain costs onto society.

Some excerpts:

The labour dispute at the CBC is focusing attention on the use of contract workers, a concept becoming more popular with business - to the horror of organized labour and many workers.

Short-term contract workers save firms millions of dollars on salaries and health care and pension benefits - normal employee perks that are rarely extended to contract staff. But unions and some workplace experts warn that a shift to greater use of contract employees will lead to lower living standards, reduce company loyalty and cut productivity.

And that, they say, will hurt the economy and society in the longer term as insecure workers find they can't get mortgages without a permanent job and steady income; can't put down roots or raise a family for fear their work will run out.

"The risk is that individuals, households and, hence, communities, will experience higher levels of insecurity," said Leah Vosco, a political science professor at York University in Toronto.

"Employment uncertainty. . .leads to a range of stressors and strains that contribute to ill-health among individuals and problems in households and communities.

"Such feelings of insecurity make it difficult for people to plan for a range of life events, from having children and pursuing education to planning for retirement." ...

Experts say contract workers have a definite role in many workplaces because some tasks lend themselves to short-term expertise, such as installing a new computer system for a firm.

And some people are happier working for themselves. They chose to become consultants, moving between contracts, setting their own work agenda.

But when employers try to cut costs by converting a large number of jobs from permanent to contract positions, they can create huge problems, warns workplace consultant Nora Spinks.

"I think (contracting out) can be very damaging for an organization - for its client-customer relationship, for its employee relations, for its productivity and performance," said Spinks, president of Toronto-based Work Life Harmony Enterprises.

One rumour I've heard is that virtually every job on CBC's The National, as one example, will be contract, from executive producer on down.

Let's assume for argument's sake that the rumour is true.

Is CBC considering cancelling the The National at some point? Does it look on the The National as a short-term project which will come to a natural end? Would the people on The National have skills that could be deployed elsewhere in the corporation if the show ended?

If the answers are no, no and yes, then what's the lockout really about?

I would really prefer to operate from a factual basis, so if anyone from either the Corpse or the union could confirm or deny this report, I'd appreciate it.