In case you missed it: Oct. 15

Posted by: Katie Duffy

The past few weeks have seen an increased discussion about the workforce in economic recovery. A lot of these conversations focus specifically on the role temporary talent will play in this recovery process.

Just yesterday, Yoh released its quarterly Index of Technology Wages. It found that the wages for professional, temporary talent declined 7.8 percent from the same time in 2009. Yoh analysts found a noticeable shift from strategic projects — often demanding higher skill sets — toward commoditized projects, lending to the negative trending data.

But as recovery continues, we’re starting to see a transformation in the workforce. Unlike past recoveries, it appears as though temporary talent will not be a leading indicator, but rather, a trend that’s here to stay.

Here are some other articles we’ve been reading that discuss this topic.

The Wall Street Journal: Employers Increasingly Rely on Temps, Part-Timers: The temporary sector added 16,900 jobs in September, according to the Unemployment Report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Part-time positions rose from 612,000 to 9.5 million, the highest on record. Likewise, a survey from Duke University and CFO Magazine found that CFOs have directed 23 percent of recent hiring at contract and part-time positions. This is up from 17 percent prior to the recession.

CNNMoney: Temp Hiring is Back. Is a Jobs Recovery Next?: In past economic recoveries, when temporary hiring begins to pick up, it’s usually an indication that permanent hiring is soon to follow. This might not be the case as we emerge from this recession. According to the Labor Department, jobs in temporary services are up 22.1 percent year-over-year, but the overall job market only expanded 0.2 percent during the same period. It’s been 12 months since temp hiring began to increase, and the industry has seen little indication that an overall jobs recovery is pending.

The Wall Street Journal: Dim Outlook for Holiday Jobs: A report found that retailers are barely planning to increase seasonal hiring over last year’s levels, which were the lowest in the past 14 years. This article also finds that although temporary hiring usually indicates full-time positions might be opening up soon, retailers are likely adding temporary, seasonal staff because they are entering the holiday season with lean, full-time head counts. This could mean fewer opportunities for temp hires to become full time employees.