Why Temporary Work May Be Good for You

With unemployment at more than 10%, the job market for traditional careers has become very challenging. According to briefing.com, goods producing payrolls declined in 129,000 posts, the construction and manufacturing sectors lost 123,000 jobs combined, and the service sector lost 61,000 jobs as of November, 2009.

However, all is not lost; the professional and business service sector gained 18,000 jobs while the education and health industries increased their workforce by 45,000 thanks to temporary workers.

Advantages of Temporary Work:

1. Getting hired is easy: Candidates meeting technical requirements are often guaranteed a job without a complicated selection process.
2. Flexible hours: Making someone work 12 hour days is an expensive proposition at an hourly salary. By temping, the employee could be free to choose his own hours, not work on weekends, take a holiday, go on vacation, have a say on when to take off weekends, holidays, vacations, or actually work more for additional pay.
3. More Money: Pay rates are often higher than the typical wages at a similar permanent position.
4. Temp to Perm: Sometimes a temp job turns into a position that needs to be filled permanently which is why they should be taken as seriously as a perm job.
5. Networking: Who meets anyone staying at home? By going to work the temp has a chance to meet potential recruiters or get excellent recommendations.
6. Career Tasting: By gaining knowledge on a wide array of jobs the candidate might develop new talents or even find a new career.
7. Gain new skills: According to the American Staffing Association, 90% of staffing companies train their temp workers and 70% of temps say they have gained new skills.

Disadvantages of Temporary Work:

1. Making mistakes can cost you: While permanent workers enjoy the traditional 3-months probation when starting a new job, temp workers can get fired for minor infractions.
2. No benefits: Temp agencies don’t generally offer a benefit package like health insurance and when they do it can cost you 30 to 40% of the base income of a permanent worker.
3. Turnover: Many jobs are likely to end as soon as the project is completed.
4. Liability Insurance: Independent contractors might be required to carry this insurance or they might be held liable in a negligence lawsuit when an error results in damage.
5. No Reference: Sometimes employers don’t consider temporary work resume-worthy.

Tempt to Perm:

40% of Manpower’s two million workers find permanent employment through their temporary placements every year. Just like internships can become full-time careers, this is one “internship” where the candidate makes more money, works less time and enjoys more flexibility… Not to mention the joy and pride of earning a paycheck once again.

Useful Websites:

The American Staffing Association
http://www.americanstaffing.net

Net-Temps
http://www.net-temps.com

Office Team
http://www.officeteam.com

Manpower
http://www.manpower.com