THE government should carefully weigh its policy options on “endo,” or temporary employment contracts (TEC), because immediately ending the practice could undermine the goal of achieving rapid, inclusive and sustained economic growth, a state think tank said.

“Endo,” short for end-of-contract, is a practice that refers to the use of temporary employment contracts whereby a firm hires a temporary worker for a six-month probationary period, dismisses them after a few (usually five) months, then rehires them and dismisses them again after five months, colloquially known as “5-5-5.”