The staffing services industry continues to provide both a flexible alternative as a career lifestyle and also a "bridge" to full-time employment. The staffing services industry benefits both the worker and the business.
Benefits to the Worker
· Training and on-the-job experience in skills that are in demand in the workplace.
· Opportunities for workers to showcase their talents to a wide variety of potential employers.
· Access to positions through temporary-to-full-time assignments and through qualified placement and executive search agencies.
Benefits to Business
· As new technology drives the need for highly skilled employees, employers are experiencing an increasingly difficult time in locating and attracting those employees. Therefore, business is turning to other companies that have expertise in providing properly skilled staff that can best accomplish the necessary tasks.
· Offers business and industry that are under increasing competitive pressures: (1) the right employees to cope with wildly fluctuating workloads, (2) unique skills to meet new product and service opportunities, and (3) solutions to the increasing regulatory complexities of managing a modern workforce.
· Temporary help companies are responsible for their employees' wages and benefits, and all legally required payroll deductions including unemployment and workers' compensation.
Temporary staffing agencies are serving a growing corporate customer base. Studies show that between 90 and 100% of U.S. companies use staffing services. The industry has experienced a steady growth rate, and by 1997, 2.5 million people were employed by temporary help agencies. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that it will be one of the fastest growing industries through the year 5,000.
The image of the temporary employee has long been that of the secretarial job, but that stereotype is very outdated. Today's temporary employee chooses from a wide range of technical and professional positions. Jobs abound in the areas of computer programming, accountancy, public relations and nursing.
When you are pursuing a temporary help agency, be sure to ask for a list of clients the agency serves. If you have a specific position in mind regarding work in the media, law or medicine, for example, go with an agency that provides workers to a magazine, a law firm or hospital. Be sure to ask about any bonuses, raises, evaluations, rates of pay and health benefits. Many temp agencies do not offer health insurance, so you may have to locate and buy your own if necessary.
Once you're actively working at an assignment, the best way to work your way up is to acquire new skills. Being flexible and working in a variety of departments will help to familiarize you with a number of different jobs and may make you more appealing to those doing the hiring.
Although there are many benefits to being a temporary worker, the downside is that there is no job security. If the company experiences difficulties, you may be the scapegoat. If layoffs are on the way, temporary staff is usually the first to go. It could easily be a week or more before you are assigned to a new temp job. Therefore, it's a good idea to establish a monthly budget for less than your bring home pay.
Keep in mind though that the flexibility afforded to you as a temporary worker also means you get to call the shots. You can obtain a temporary job ranging from one day to more than a year. If you perform your duties well and establish a good, professional relationship with others, you may be first in line to leap to a more permanent position. Whatever you do, take your time. You may want to experience a variety of temporary positions before committing permanently to anyone.
--Kay LaRocca is Vice President Corporate Services for CareerSoar.com. Her email address is kay@careersoar.com.
