Temporary Staffing Growth on the Rise: What That Means for Your Company

As we continue to climb out of the latest recession, it’s clear that one area of the labor market has significantly changed—the number of workers in temporary positions. The recession officially ended in 2009 and temporary staffing companies were among the first to add jobs, growing a whopping 57% from the years 2009 to 2014. According to new research from CareerBuilder, temporary employment will continue its upward climb as companies seek new ways of adapting to market dynamics, with experts predicting that temporary jobs will grow at least 13 percent over the next several years.

Who’s Hiring

CareerBuilder’s study found that two in five U.S. employers are planning to hire temporary staff this year. The news bodes well for workers, as it gives them an opportunity to explore different career options and build relationships with a diverse range of organizations. It may come as no surprise that a quarter of the report’s listed occupations that pay $15 or more per hour are in the IT and software engineering fields. Many of the companies doing the hiring often bring on temporary staff with the intention of making them permanent employees, while others fill positions that open up during seasonal fluctuations. A new trend has recently developed, however, that runs contradictory to these norms. In the past, the hiring of more temporary staff indicated a future rise in the number of full-time workers hired. Today, it’s different, as companies that have been repeatedly burned by the faltering economy are reluctant to commit to full-time hires.

The New Permanent Temp

The Harvard Business review has dubbed this the era of the “new permanent temp,” and some experts believe new healthcare reform mandates have had a direct impact on companies deciding to keep new positions temporary instead of converting them to full-time. But temporary workers are not necessarily complaining about the new normal. Many feel empowered by the trend and see it as a great way to live a lifestyle more compatible with their actual needs and wants. It’s also seen as a terrific choice for retirees who want to stay in the game, but on their own terms. Benefits of Temporary Staffing As companies adjust to the new temporary staffing paradigm, they’re beginning to see some important benefits:

• They view working in partnership with a quality temporary staffing firm as a tremendous opportunity to find talented individuals on short notice.
• They can more easily manage demand fluctuations by relying on their staffing partner to provide the right person for the job, while they remain focused on business operations and strategies.
• They have access to a temporary pool of workers, rich in talent, who are at times better qualified than their permanent staff.

A book recently published by Cornell University may put it best when it says that today’s temporary staffing industry continues to promote an image of a very particular brand of temporary labor—one in which the workers are as effective, efficient, and even committed as their full-time counterparts.