According to a survey published on the Staffing Industry Analysts website, employers will be hiring more contingent or temporary employees. The report notes that the estimate is a 26% increase in contingent workers over last year. Not bad, although contingent workers tend to get paid less than staff employees. Also, seldom are contingent workers entitled to the same benefits as staff workers. So essentially, it’s a new way in a down economy to cut labor costs, especially for seasonal work or the kind of job that doesn’t require ongoing presence.
Most of the temporary hires will come through the restaurant, hospitality, or retail sectors. That should be of no surprise to anyone.
For those employers hiring contingent or temporary workers, you may want to conduct background checks. The basic employment screening package for temporary hires usually consists of the Social Security Trace, the Nationwide Criminal Database Search, and possibly the predominant county where the applicant is residing. If the applicant is driving, then Motor Vehicle Driving Records (MVRS) may be in order.
The survey was culled from 236 contingent buyers and form 187 of the larger companies that collectively hire more than a million employees.