Benefits for All: Top Advantages of Working with a Staffing Firm

From September 15 ^th – 21 ^st , The Work Group is celebrating the accomplishments of temporary and contract employees all across the country during National Staffing Employee Week .

Temporary staffing was born in the late 1940s as a source for companies to find typists and seasonal workers, but that image is long out of date. Temporary workforce solutions address all kinds of work in any discipline imaginable and play a significant role in the economic recovery. In 2012, 36% of companies hired contract or temporary workers, up from 28% only 3 years earlier.

In 2013:

• 3.0 million people were employed by staffing companies every week.
• 11.0 million temporary or contract employees were hired in all.
• 79% of staffing employees work full time.

Small businesses are taking advantage of the opportunities offered by temporary employees. Traditionally, businesses have worked with staffing firms to cover employee absences or illness. But at need, staffing provides employers with flexibility that can make the difference between growth and stagnation. Temporary staffing can be the manpower solution that gives an economic edge to a small businesses that are positioned for growth but aren’t ready to hire full-time employees. A firm positioned for recovery from the economic downturn can benefit from temporary staffing to return to healthy operations.

Staffing firms also offer advantages for skilled workers and displaced professionals. In this employment market, contingent staffing creates a path to reentry into the workplace for downsized professionals. Temporary work can be the perfect bridge to a career transition or a supplement to early retirement. Statistically, that means that:

• 88% of staffing employees say that temporary or contract work made them more employable.
• 77% of staffing employees say it's a good way to obtain a permanent job.
• 80% of staffing clients say staffing firms offer a good way to find people who can become permanent employees.

Since most staffing firms offer training, contract workers enjoy a training advantage over their permanent counterparts. A professional working in a variety of environments is more likely to be exposed to new solutions and technologies. Through experience as a temporary employee, professionals can cultivate a diverse bank of valuable skills, making them more employable. According to the American Staffing Association:

• 90% of staffing companies provide free training to their temporary and contract employees.
• 65% of staffing employees have developed new or improved work skills through their assignments.
• 40% of staffing employees say they choose temporary or contract work as a way to obtain employment experience or job training.

Even if the temporary assignment doesn’t translate into a full-time position, these positions offer a wealth of advantages for the worker. For those who have experienced unemployment, a temporary job can keep your head in the game. Long periods of unemployment can be demoralizing and unemployed workers can fall out of their work habits. Temporary employment keeps those habits fresh and when a full-time position does come along, it makes the adjustment to full-time work that much easier. Temporary assignments keep a professional network fresh and functional—a huge plus to have during a job search.

For the last few years, finding work has been especially challenging for younger workers. New graduates can benefit from working with a staffing firm because they offer the opportunity to build new skills and find experience to build an impressive resume. For workers who have family or educational commitments, the flexibility of a temporary assignment has real appeal. A temporary worker has the ability to structure their employment around their other needs, being able to choose when and where they’ll work.

For both workers and employers, temporary staffing offers many advantages from a period of introduction until a possible lasting professional commitment. After almost 60 years, temporary staffing has grown into a fundamental tool for developing successful businesses.