The world is suddenly waking up to the discovery that employers are bringing on temp and contract workers at a pace that will soon surpass the peak numbers of 2006.
Subscribers to The Fordyce Letter first read about the surge in temp workers in the May issue. Following the release of the June employment numbers by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, FordyceLetter.com reported, “There are now 2.534 million contract and temp workers in the U.S., a number just a few months shy of exceeding the all time high of 2.657 million reached in August 2006.”
Now, U.S. News says “Temp Workers Make Huge Comeback.” The article points out that the staffing industry has regained almost all the jobs lost in the recession, while other employers have added just over half the ones they shed. It’s not simply a sign of cautious employers bringing in extra help while waiting to see what the economy will do, but evidence of a trend.
Says the article, “In 1983, temporary workers made up just over half a percent of all employment. Now, that figure stands at nearly 2.3 percent — a remarkable change, despite the small numbers.”
“It’s a structural transformation,” maintains Arne Kalleberg, a professor of sociology at University of North Carolina who studies the labor force.
Meanwhile, Dana Shaw, former senior vice president for Staffing Industry Analysts, says, “Currently, the average mix of contingents in the Fortune 100 is 20-30 percent of the workforce, but it will evolve to 50 percent.” That evolution, she says, will be complete in barely eight years.
Shaw is quoted in an article by Thomas Fisher, Dean of the College of Design at the University of Minnesota. In “The Contingent Workforce and Public Decision Making,” Fisher details what he sees as the implications of having a workforce that could be as much as 40% even 50% contract and temp. Some of these impacts are transitory, as older workers without modern business skills are forced into underemployment and become what he calls “a lost generation of workers.”
The longer term changes wrought by the rise of freelance, says Fisher, has several positives.
The rise of a large, contingent workforce also has a more optimistic side to it, however, since it reflects the emergence of what some have called the ‘next economy’, fueled by the digital revolution. In this next economy, workers will have much more flexibility in terms of how, when, and where they work, and they will have, over the
course of their careers, many professional engagements and maybe even several different careers altogether rather than the long-term, relatively permanent employment of the old economy.
Fisher’s view is that government needs to respond now to the changes in the way we work, rethinking everything from commuting patterns and the consequent impact on highways and public transportation, to the tax incentives communities provide employers.
It may become more important, for example, to provide wide-bandwidth wireless service, flexible live-work housing, and walkable communities with plenty of gathering places nearby than to offer the traditional economic incentives of tax breaks, financial incentives, and minimal regulation. What worked in the old economy can completely backfire in the new one.
Next week, the U.S. Labor Department will release the August employment numbers. Analysts have yet to make public their monthly predictions about payroll changes, however there isn’t much reason to expect any significant swings either up or down. The report, though, will detail how the staffing industry job counts changed. The expectation is that the numbers will be up.
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Experts Predict: Half Your Workforce Will Be Temps | Mecha Engineering LLC Aug 29, 2012 at 1:44 pm
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Keith Halperin Aug 29, 2012 at 11:20 pm
Hmmm. Instead of the “temp workforce” or the “contingent work force” how about: the “2nd class workforce” instead? This continually expanding group has minimal benefits, minimal job security, and minimal opportunities. The “2nd Class Workforce” consists not only of aging boomers (and soon Xers), but also the young so-called “Generation Screwed” who are leaving universities with massive debts but few job prospects.
No Cheers,
Keith
Suchitra Mishra Aug 30, 2012 at 8:09 am
I agree that this is a structural transformation – not just in the changes in view points of the employers but also in the view point of the workers. People want to choose when, where and how they work – Working your “own way” is becoming high on the priority list of most workers where job satisfaction is equating more and more towards job flexibility and the ability to pick and choose assignments.
Regards,
Suchitra
http://blogbysuchitra.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/five-reasons-why-i-just-said-bye-bye-to-a-great-job/
Tom Gimbel Aug 30, 2012 at 9:20 am
Temporary staffing is on the rise, that’s no doubt. Companies are hesitant to expand their workforce permanently as the economy remains unstable. The question is, will this really become a structural transformation in the way America hires? My inclination is yes….at least for the foreseeable future. Contract workers provide flexibility and a way to get the job done at a fraction of the cost…but there are benefits for the employee as well. Here’s a few I shared in my blog post: http://pastfive.typepad.com/pastfive/2011/11/benefits-abound-for-temp-to-perm-employment.html
Number of Contract Workers to Surpass Previous All-Time High - The Official MaxHire Blog - Get Connected : The Official MaxHire Blog – Get Connected Aug 31, 2012 at 2:25 pm
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Number of Contract Workers to Surpass Previous All-Time High Sep 1, 2012 at 9:14 pm
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Use of Temporary Employees is UP! | Sep 5, 2012 at 9:07 pm
[...] economy will do, but evidence of a trend” and even “a structural transformation.” Read the full article for more information on the implications of a growing temporary [...]
My Boss is a Jerk ...wait a minute I am my own boss! - Career Pivot Oct 14, 2012 at 7:45 pm
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Sir Rutherford Nov 29, 2012 at 11:55 pm
“In this next economy, workers will have much more flexibility in terms of how, when, and where they work…..”
Never heard more hogwash in my life. I’ve worked as a “contigent” “contractor” or “temp”, largely against my will because thats all the company was hiring, at large multinational companies for 5 years or more and never once encountered one that didn’t dictate my hours and location and even desk just like a regular employee.
You’re just an employee but without benefits or job security…. case closed.
Summary Sunday Curated Career Content for week of Feb 17 - Career Pivot Mar 2, 2013 at 3:15 pm
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