Conversely, the maximum duration of successive contracts is very short in Chile and France, while no substantial limits are found in about one-third of OECD countries37 as well as in India and South Africa (see Figure 2.7). In Belgium, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia, there is no limitation for the first contract, but cumulative time limits step in when a renewal occur, or a new contract between the same employer and employee is signed. In this case, workers are hired by an agency and temporarily assigned for work into a user firm, typically to perform temporary tasks outside the “core” business of the user firm or to enable it to cope with short-term increases in workload.