The changing temporary work force:
Managerial, professional, and technical workers in the personnel supply services industry by Rick Melchionno

“

orking smarter” has become the slogan of the ’90s for cost-conscious companies. One way many businesses have embraced the phrase is by using temporary workers—and not just for clerical tasks. Temporary workers are in positions previously filled by permanent employees, such as managers or scientists, and many have skills that did not exist even a few years ago. Demand for temporary workers in managerial, professional, and technical occupations is greatest in industries such as financial services, health care, telecommunications, and information technology.
© Photos courtesy of Olsten Corporation (background and top left)

W

Although highly skilled temporary workers are common today, they were not always the norm. The first “temps” received little or no training to help businesses with short-term clerical projects such as collating and inventory control. The next wave of temporary workers required a few more skills to perform secretarial and administrative duties—including typing, filing, and answering phones—to fill in for absent staff members. The image of temporary workers doing repetitive, low-skilled tasks has grown as outdated as black and white television. Higher skilled workers, ranging from laboratory technicians to lawyers, increasingly make themselves available for temporary assignments. Companies recognize the convenience of having temporary workers for an expanding variety of short-term activities. And the firms that supply temporary help to these companies now specialize in placing skilled workers. This article discusses the temporary help industry, highlighting managerial, professional, and technical workers such as accountants, scientists, and information technology specialists. The first