Monday, September 23, 2013

Temporary Staffing is on the RISE

Temporary staffing can no longer be considered a temporary solution for businesses. It is become an increasingly popular method for businesses who do not want to have to lock in their employees for years to come. As a result, there is a steady increase in the percentage of contract workers in Canada. While not all businesses have adapted; here are some of the benefits that come with temporary staffing.

  1. You can hire a specialized contract worker to complete a specialized project.
  2. There is very little training required in most cases.
  3. Most contract workers are not provided benefits.
  4. Contract workers can be brought in during peak seasons and let go right when the contract is complete.
  5. Productivity is higher because they are only brought in when the work load is strenuous.



The number of temporary employees continues to rise, as there were approximately 2 million people within Canada that were considered temporary workers (Statistics Canada). These numbers will continue to grow as businesses begin to adopt the new practice. Workers are also starting to understand the importance of working in temp positions because it expands their current skill-set as well as adding invaluable experience.

As much as there are benefits to having temporary employees, companies can end up losing highly qualified workers because they are offered full-time positions at another company. It is safe to say that the majority of the workforce is still looking for full-time positions, and a good amount can be considered valuable workers; so are these temp workers really the cream of the crop? Many will take temporary jobs because they are currently unemployed or are looking for another job. So why were they unemployed/unhappy in the first place? That’s one question managers will have to pry out of interviewee’s.

Regardless of the answer, temporary jobs will continue to grow in the market place as businesses look to maximize their working capital. That’s not to say that full-time positions will disappear; but over the past couple of decades, businesses and corporations have been looking for ways to remain competitive in their respective industries. Downsizing and outsourcing are two methods that come to mind when businesses are restructuring.


I’ll finish off here with a question; would the economy function adequately if the majority of the workforce were contracted?