The staffing industry makes major contributions to the United States’ economy and provides exceptional career opportunities to so many individuals year upon year. Around three million temporary and contract employees work for America’s staffing companies in an average week. Throughout the course of a year, America’s staffing companies hire 16 million temporary and contract employees.
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the United States saw its lowest number of temporary hires in almost ten years, with just over two million temporary workers in April 2020.
However, this does not mean that temporary employment has taken a complete halt. In fact, industries such as Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Logistics, Distribution, E-Commerce and Food Processing have all increased their demand for temporary and contract workers during COVID-19. For example, Amazon hired 175,000 temporary workers to help with the considerable increase in consumers online shopping.
As stated by McKinsey & Company, during the financial crisis in 2008, temporary-labor services experienced greater job losses, followed by a faster rebound, compared with the broader economy. This pattern supports the notion that companies will lean even more so on temporary and contract workers when the economy bounces back from COVID-19.
Even though we are still in the midst of the pandemic, temporary work is an extremely viable option that should be strongly considered by both the client and candidate. Here are a few Client/Candidate pros to consider:
Pros for Clients
Many companies only focus on the initial agency fees, and not on what partnering with a staffing agency could really save them in the long ruin.
- Saving money on cost – get a temp employee at a lower cost than a full time employee
- Ability to obtain ‘same day’ temp staff
- Avoiding the need to commit to a length of time
- Saving time on sourcing/screening resumes
- Ability to try out a candidate before hiring
- Helping quickly with high demand
Pros for Candidates
Whether you are currently a student who needs a flexible schedule or short-term work during breaks, a recent college grad, or were recently laid off, temporary roles are the perfect solution.
- Gaining new work experience/keep skills current
- Building your professional network
- Continuous employment on your resume
- Income when things are slow/can’t find a perm role
- Flexibility
If you’re a client, hiring temporary employees is an effective way to save money while enhancing internal productivity. As a temp, you will be able to gain both financially and professionally. Temporary staffing results in a win/win for all, and on top of the personal and organizational pros, both would also share the role of providing a boost in the economy – and for the year 2020, we need it!
Written By
Lauren Buonopane, Practice Director and Gwen Poole, Director
