The Rise in Temporary Employment. The Loss of Job Security in America

by Kéllia Ramares
Global Research, December 22, 2010

According to a New York Times article published on December 19, 2010, the US Labor Department reported that 80% of the 50,000 private sector jobs added in November were temporary as were more than a quarter of the private sector jobs added this year. The latter figure is startling in comparison to previous periods of alleged economic recovery, as this graph from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows:

I worked as a temp for many years after finishing school in 1980. Back then the temp agencies— there were more of them and they were more visible then—advertised that you could work when you wanted. That was a lie unless you had the highest skills: Typing 80 wpm, 10-key by touch, or accounting. For someone like me who aced the temp agency spelling and math tests, but who only typed 40 wpm and looked at the keys on the calculator, work was catch as catch can.

Doing a good job did not necessarily help my employment longevity, something a lot of so-called regular employees have learned about their situations recently. I was kicked out of one assignment because someone within the company wanted to make a lateral move. Another job ended abruptly after four months and although the manager denied it, one company employee told me that the policy was never to have a temp longer than that.

Being a temp works out well sometimes and for some people, especially if you are young, single and healthy. But the lack of health insurance, income stability and opportunity for advancement begins to wear after a while. So also does the lack of respect you endure for being “just a temp.â€