Newsletter
March -
April, 2000
Temporary Staffing: Where
Downsizing and Upsizing Meet
The
Washington Post recently praised temporary staffing as the
"hidden hero" in the current "miracle economy,"
saying in an editorial that it was partially responsible for
historically low unemployment.
Ask anyone who uses temporary staffing
to list its benefits and they’ll surely say things like workforce
flexibility, acquiring specific skills or expertise, controlling
headcount and filling in for absent workers. But, while the industry
has grown by 100 percent in the past decade to $72 billion and four
million employees, will it continue to have the same economic impact
that some believe it does? A group of Dunhill Staffing Systems
Presidents, speaking at a recent national convention on Hilton Head
Island, SC, think it will.
Key Solution at the Intersection
"Temporary staffing continues to have a
dramatic impact because it is a key solution for a business
environment in which corporate downsizing and upsizing are
increasingly intersecting," they said. "What seemed like a
contradiction only a few years ago is now widely accepted."
Today, many companies have plans for both
downsizing and upsizing because they need to quickly re-assign
employees and create skill resources where they will do the most
good, such as developing new products and expanding into emerging
technologies. Strategically, temporary staffing can help them focus
on their core businesses.
Increasing Commitment to Training, Specialization
Staffing firms are increasing their commitment to
training, which already exceeds $500 million per year. Many firms,
such as Dunhill Staffing Systems, are also creating more areas of
specialization to meet the specific needs of their clients for
employees in high technology, healthcare, financial services, and
other areas.
More skilled workers are choosing temporary or
contingency assignments as their career, as opposed to traditional
employment. In turn, that has in many cases improved the skill level
and overall quality of temporary employees.
"About one-third of all temporary employees
say that they now prefer the alternative arrangement to traditional
employment. They can choose when, where and how they want to work.
They can learn new skills and select their work schedule and choose
among a group of diverse and challenging assignments," one
Dunhill President noted.
Competition for Talent Continues
Of course, a sustained robust economy means that
competition for qualified employees will continue to be acute. Fewer
people are looking for work and there are fewer workers on the
"sidelines." More recent college graduates are also
finding full-time positions. As a result, there are fewer potential
workers who are available to re-enter the workforce.
And, while it may be more a symbolic change than
one of substance, with the new millennium the 50-year-old tradition
of "Professional Secretaries Week" will end this year with
the creation of "Administrative Professionals Week" to
more accurately reflect the diverse responsibilities of those
workers, many of whom are temporary.
Looking to the future, the outlook for the
staffing industry is very bright. Staffing firms such as Dunhill are
ideally situated to provide flexibility to employees and companies
as the workforce adapts within an increasingly high-tech,
service-oriented, knowledge-based economy.
The
Dunhill Family of Search and Staffing companies is dedicated to equal employment
opportunity. We refer and hire all qualified Candidates without regard to race, religion,
national origin, age, sex, disability, marital or other protected status.
