More Workers Going It Alone, With Success

There was a past perception about temporary workers that really doesn’t apply today. That perception revolved around "not good enough to work full time" or "just filling in when some regular key people are missing."

No longer. Check out this brief item from a recent edition of Forbes.

Ten years ago, Daniel Pink wrote a seminal book predicting that America was becoming a "Free Agent Nation." Today, depending on whose statistics you believe, anywhere from 10 million to 42 million people in America are now freelancers. Or choose your preferred term: Temps. Contractors. Freelancers. Contingent Workers. Independent Professionals.

No matter what you call them, businesses today are getting good work done with talented non-permanent workers. In fact, Harvard Business Review recently reported that 58% of companies plan to use temporary employees at all levels over the next few years.

If the picture you get in your head when you hear "temp" is of a really young, old or unskilled person who sits at the front desk when your administrative assistant is away, it’s time for a new perspective. Many temps today have advanced skills and a strong work ethic. Need a CEO? There’s a temp for that. Need an iOS developer? There’s a temp for that.

Temps can offer fresh perspectives that they bring from previous workplaces. Also, when you have a project that requires knowledge that you don’t have in-house, an experienced temp often needs less ramp-up time than a permanent hire.   

 

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