When companies need short-term workers–or if they just want to “try before they buy”–they’ll hire temporary employees. And if you play your cards right, the temp gig can parlay into a permanent, full-time position.
According to CareerBuilder’s, 40% of employers plan to hire temporary and contract workers in 2013, up from 36% last year. Almost half of these employers (42%) plan to transition some temporary workers into full-time, permanent staffers.
“Temporary employment is an arrangement where the worker is expected to stay with the company for a designated period of time,” says Eric Gilpin, president of CareerBuilder’s Staffing and Recruiting Group. “That could mean a day, a week or several months.”
He says many companies are still operating with smaller staffs post-recession. “We see more companies turning to temporary and contract workers to fill in the gaps and meet increased market demands.”
Workers, on the other hand, pursue temporary employment for a variety of reasons, Gilpin says. “They may take a temp job to gain experience or get their foot in the door with an employer. Others build careers in temporary employment because they enjoy working for a variety of companies and the learning opportunities that go along with it. It’s a great way to network, pick up new skills and expand your resume, and it often leads to permanent opportunities.”
“Some rely on temporary work for additional income, making it a second job,” he says. “Others like the greater flexibility it can offer in terms of work schedule. People can tell their staffing service the days they would like to work and accept assignments only for those days. That is difficult to do in a traditional permanent work arrangement.”
Other professionals use temporary assignments as an opportunity to gain new skills while looking for a permanent job, he adds. “And recent graduates may find temping a great option for their first exposure into the professional workplace trying out different types of industries to see which they like best.”
Some occupations that are hiring temporary workers at an accelerated rate are:
Assemblers, Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Maintenance & Repair Workers, etc.