Labor Data Show Surge In Hiring of Temp Workers

nytimes.com



This isn't the best possible news, as full-time employees are being replaced by cheaper temporary workers without benefits.

Still, an increase in temps is an increase in hiring, and hopefully some of these workers will be offered full-time employment once the economy picks up a little further.

It does show that employers have SOME faith that there will be an upturn in business sometime in the foreseeable future.

But then again, it may be that more and more employers are just finding temp workers cheaper and more easily expendable, especially since they don't get any benefits or job security.

I know in the universities full-time professors are being replaced by less expensive adjuncts. Adjuncts are only paid for the hours they spend in the classroom, and are uncompensated for the time they spend preparing for classes, grading papers, composing and grading tests, individual conferencing with students and parents, counseling, research, etc. etc.

However, the adjuncts, because they are not being paid for all these things, tend not to do them as well or thoroughly, thereby making them less effective as teachers.

Yep that's bad news, I've done a lot of temping and it's not always much fun, you never feel invested in what your doing, you just know some agency is getting money for doing very little while your actually doing the work, your co-employees are sometimes dangerous or angry or something else... It's money but that's about it.

Temp companies are usually setup by the very companies they hire for.

I have actually set one up for a company.

It is another corporate technique to disallow any power to an employee.

As a temp, you have no legal rights to anything.

Thanks gov for another form of slavery. They are the ONES that allowed these other unlawful entities.

reply to post by Sestias

Well, it's sort of good news. That means there are some jobs to be had. Where I live, the temp jobs have dried up. And the regular employee jobs are gone for the most part, too. Some factories that got tax breaks to operate here can now just move, pay the penalties for leaving early and still make big bucks. The boot manufactoring company has just closed (Red Wing) and is moving overseas, K-Mart is closing, mom and pop? They are trying to live off SS and Medicare. The only answer we get is that maybe we should start selling alcohol here. That's a couple of jobs. hEH, My son-in-law got a temp job. He worked his ass off and had a good attitude and became a full employee with union payments and silly benefits. Ut, oh. the temps are still there, but the regular employees have been laid off. Just as his company, that got a federal grant because the company did so much, so well, to provide employment for locals. So now the company can afford to move their operations out of the country. Doesn't this stuff just make your heart swell with pride and fuzziness? It's okay, though, the company is eligible for another federal government reward, and my son-in-law is tops on the list for a job as a temp, next May. Wow. Business is good.

Look at what time of year it is in a month the jobs will be gone along with the last hope of a recovery we will see for awhile. If you even think for a second the economy is getting better I have a couple bridges to sell you. It will get so bad it will make the 30s seem like a holiday. I hope I am wrong but how can a company that is loosing sales and laying off workers actually show gains in the stock market something is very very wrong with this picture.

I think this is to show a false job numbers increase. I believe this is more about politics (or will be used as such) than actual job increases.

reply to post by kyred


Sounds like your town is not seeing any recovery. In my part of the country there is an enormous amount of construction going on -- buildings, roads, bridges, etc. --but I understand most of them were in the works before the recession.

When the rest of the stimulus money is finally spent I hope more of it goes to creating real jobs for people and not just propping up the failing banks and insurance companies. The banks have to recover before anyone can get loans, but people on Main Street are really hurting.

BTW: My husband wears Red Wing boots. He's disgusted that they won't be made in the U.S. anymore.

reply to post by Subjective Truth


You may be right.

While many economists say we've avoided a world-wide depression comparable to the one in the 1930's, some are predicting a "jobless recovery." Meaning once businesses adjust to the leaner, more efficient work force with no benefits that they have now, they will not return to the pre-recession work force, even when businesses pick up again.

So temp workers may become the norm rather than the exception.

Bummer.