Temp Jobs Trend Higher

Temporary workers now account for more than a quarter of the jobs added since the Great Recession technically ended, and some experts predict those types of jobs will continue indefinitely as employers seek ways to trim labor-related costs.

The trend is for companies to count more on the services of temporary workers and less on full-time employees, who already may be overworked because of layoffs and buyouts.

This is great news for companies pressing for increased productivity and reduced costs, but it does not bode well for the underemployed and unemployed seeking full-time work.

More than 15 million people remain jobless, with the unemployment rate at 9.8 percent in November. For many, even a temp job is better than no job at all.

Temp workers typically receive few or no benefits – health care, holiday pay, sick time. Essentially, temps work for cash on a per-diem basis, with no job security. Every day could be their last at work.

The New York Times notes that “it is harder for them (temps) to save. And it is much more difficult for them to develop a career arc while hopping from boss to boss.”

There are several factors driving the trend toward temps, including the way work is handled in America’s post-recession era.

“Businesses now tend to organize around short- to medium-term projects that can be doled out to temporary or contract workers,” the Times reports.

And flexibility is another factor: it’s much easier to end a bunch of temp contracts than to actually go through layoffs, according to mediabistro.com.

“We’re in a period where uncertainty seems to be going on forever,” David Autor, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, tells the Times.

“So this period of temporary employment seems to be going on forever.”

View From Inside

Having been a temporary worker more than once in my professional career, I can say it offers more advantages than disadvantages to employers and the temp. It can be an “audition” for both parties.

From the employer side, there is little red tape in terms of temp hiring and termination. The application, background check and interview process typically are the same as for a regular, full-time employee.

In a temp arrangement, an employer tries the worker on for size, to see if he or she fits the position and company culture while performing the same job as regular staff.

It’s not easy, even after an exhaustive resume review and rigorous interview process, to be certain someone is right beforehand for any job.

On the flip side, the temp can do the same thing in terms of sizing up the company and whether a full-time, regular staff position – assuming it’s available and offered later – would provide financial stability and flexibility for professional and personal growth.

A survey by Staffing Industry Analysts, a Mountain View, Calif., research firm, shows 68 percent of all temporary workers are seeking permanent employment, the Times reports.

Temp Worker Advances

My previous career as professional journalist in daily newspapers began this way:

A college internship led to a temporary reporter’s job that led to full-time employment in the career of my choice. Certainly, not all temp work ends in such a positive outcome, but the potential does exist.

The key for me turning the temp journalism job into a regular one was performing at the highest level; that is showing mastery of basic skills, willingness to learn new ones, and developing interest regardless of the assignment.

If you’re not curious about the why and how of things, chances are you won’t make a very good journalist. You have to combine reporting (gathering facts) and writing (context packaging) to get the job done right, regardless of print or electronic format.

Change Direction Now

My point is the use of temporary workers – to fill gaps and cut costs – should not be considered a long-term substitute for hiring full-time employees who, admittedly, do bring higher costs, especially in the health and retirement benefits.

Whether you’re an employer or employee, temporary staffing is a practical solution for the here and now.

But it offers no lasting commitment to the future, whether that’s building a business, improving-maintaining services, or developing a career path.

Temporary workers should be just that, temporary. There's too much at stake for all sides of this equation to let this trend become permanent.

As for me, I practice what I preach at writenowworks.com. If you like this post, please share it.