More Temporary Jobs and Contract Positions Coming in 2011

By Dona DeZube, Monster Finance Careers Expert

When times get tough, temporary jobs are the first to go. And when times get better, temporary jobs are the first to reappear. So it’s good to hear that the pace of growth in the temporary staffing agency industry in the fall of 2010 was the fastest recorded since the industry began keeping statistics back in the mid-1940s.

On a year-to-year basis, 19.5 percent more temporary workers were employed in September 2010 compared with the same month last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Companies create temporary jobs to staff up without making a long-term commitment -- a practice that appeals when the economy is uncertain and healthcare requirements are changing, says Brendan Courtney, president of recruiting and staffing agency The Mergis Group, a division of SFN Group in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The trend toward temporary jobs was going strong in the final quarters of 2010, and that bodes well for 2011, says Rachel Russell, marketing director for TEKsystems, a Hanover, Maryland, staffing agency specializing in IT contracting. “Shareholders aren’t smiling on permanent hiring just yet,â€