Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 19, 1992 TAG: 9201170095
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By LOIS RAIMONDO THE NEW YORK TIMES
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
TEMPS CONTINUE AS MAJOR FORCE
The temporary-work industry in America enjoyed 10 percent average annual payroll growth from 1987 to 1989.Nationally, 64 percent of temps work in clerical positions; 15 percent in industrial; 12 percent in technical, management and professional; and 10 percent in medical support.
Temporary services, like most service industries, are suffering from the recession. Experts say the industry will recover first and move ahead quickly when the economy turns around.
Rosemary Maniscalco was a temporary worker 10 years ago when her husband left her and she had to support two children. She now is executive vice president of Uniforce Temporary Services in New Hyde Park, N.Y. Uniforce has 110 franchises in 28 states.
She supervises new franchises, operations, training and recruiting.
Q: Why are companies increasingly choosing temporary workers instead of permanent employees?
A: The situation is being affected from both the side of the worker and the client company. More people are choosing temporary work as a career, because of the freedom and flexibility that the job provides. Temping provides a work style that fits a contemporary lifestyle. At the same time companies are finding that temporary workers are more cost effective.
Q: In what way?
A: A company will use a temp only when necessary. So it's a balanced-staffing approach. If you are staffed for your peak workload period, you are overstaffed. You should be staffed for your normal workload period and then when you have peaks you use extras.
Q: Does the lack of benefits deter potential workers?
A: We've done surveys, and the results show that benefits are not a big issue with our temps. Most of them are covered by their spouse's policy, or, for younger workers, their parents'. For those who aren't, we have an option where they can buy into a group plan. And for some of our higher paid professional temps, we do provide medical benefits.
Q: What supports the statement that temporary workers are more productive?
A: The United States Department of Labor did a survey which shows that temp workers are only 90 percent productive when they walk on the job, but they are more productive than the permanent workers by the end of the day. They don't take the coffee breaks. They don't socialize. They're there to work.
Q: What type of company is most likely to use temps?
A: Today temps are used by almost 100 percent of American businesses. The temp industry is a $10 billion industry, larger than the auto-rental industry and the movie industry, not including home video sales. Years ago temps would have been used on a reactionary basis. Today they are part of intelligent planning.
Q: With 30 percent of your workers considering themselves career temps, why are people choosing temping as a permanent job option?
A: The career temp is someone who puts in a minimum amount of time as a temp, the actual time requirement being determined by the franchise company. A major difference between temps of 10 years ago and temps of today is that today the temp can make a salary on par with a permanent worker.
The freedom and flexibility that the job provides, combined with the good salary, makes career temping an increasingly attractive option to all kinds of people.
Q: Who is the temp worker and how is the worker different from 10 years ago?
A: Our average temp is far more sophisticated, better educated and more skilled than ever before. Today 25 percent of our workers are men. And we also have a broader spectrum of professional people working for us.
Q: Do you think that temporary workers are taking away permanent jobs?
A: That is definitely a part of the equation. We see a lot of people who are between jobs or who need to take a second job. We are also targeting an older group of people now who retired early from their permanent careers, but who are not yet willing or able to stop working completely.
Q: How much does the temporary worker earn?
A: The average wage for a clerical worker is about $8. It is very rare for someone to be making minimum wage as a temp. And a professional temp can make $40 or even $50 an hour.
Q: Where do you recruit?
A: We go to high schools and junior colleges, where we work with guidance counselors and the students. We also work with unemployment agencies. In some states we actually set up a table in the same room that people go to for unemployment insurance. We've recruited some very good workers that way.
Q: Are you trying to hire more professionals?
A: The bulk of our workers are office and clerical workers. We do place legal secretaries, management-information specialists and even computer-graphics managers. But the professional worker still makes up less than 5 percent in industry temping. Our job is to screen in, not screen out, determine skills, and then send the best person out for the job. There's a job for everyone.