Temporary Workforce is On the Rise and It’s Not Stopping Anytime Soon

Three years ago, Cerius predicted that the temporary workforce is here to stay. And we were right.

At the time, the most recent report from the American Staffing Association stated that companies across the U.S. employed an average of 2.95 million temporary and contract workers during the third quarter of 2012. But according to a new study done jointly by freelance platforms, Elance-oDesk and the Freelancer Union, 53 million people — or 34 percent of the workforce — did freelance work in 2014.

All the data shows that contingent workers are on the rise. In Get the Facts. Is the Temporary Workforce Here To Stay?, Cerius looked at the statistics and trends and positively predicted that the temporary workforce would become a permanent fixture in the future.

In 2013, we answered the question on every business executive’s mind:

“Is the temporary workforce is here to stay? Absolutely. As reported by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the 2007-2009 recession was the longest and most severe post-World War II recession in our history. The total private employment losses were 7.6% 26 months after the start of that recession. Before that, the largest dip in employment was 6%, 11 months after the start of the 1948 recession. Because of the severity of this last recession, companies are looking differently at their workforce. They are seeing that for a portion of their workforce, they are better off utilizing temporary or contract workers and executives to help them accomplish their goals and initiatives for the year. This helps them control costs by bringing in talent when and where you need them as well as bringing in workers with the specific expertise they need rather than risk using one of their permanent employees who does not have the skills needed.”

And our advice from back three years ago, stands true today:

“If you are not already taking advantage of this temporary workforce, I suggest you start investigating how this new concept could bring you the competitive edge and cost savings you need in today’s rapidly changing world.”