According to CNN, 2.3 million people held temporary jobs in March, up from 1.7 million in mid-2009. With the economy still in flux, companies continue to attempt to satisfy customer demand without making potentially risky long-term commitments to worker salary and benefits. "Employers know that the economy could change at any time," Jon Osborne, vice…

With the economy still shaky, some small businesses may not feel comfortable with the idea of hiring a new employee full-time. Rasmussen College online instructor Michael Mancini Jr. explains to the website AllBusiness that contacting a temporary staffing agency is an acceptable alternative solution to growing a businesses. The author explains that temp agencies have…

Women-and minority-owned (WMBE) staffing agencies are making headway in increasing their visibility amongst staffing buyers, according to Staffing Industry Analysts. The news source notes that of the 44 staffing firms on Staffing Industry Analysts' 2010 list of fastest-growing staffing firms, more than half were also on the 2010 list of diversity staffing firms. "Although we…

Brenda Palms-Barber is a new kind of recruiter. Her company, Sweet Beginnings, sells honey-infused skin products, which can be purchased at popular establishments like Whole Foods Market, according to Inc. magazine. The one difference? The only employees on Barber's payroll are ex-criminal offenders. The media outlet explains that Palms-Barber heads a staffing agency called the…

Growth in the temporary employment sector typically means that employers believe the pace of business is improving but they're not confident enough to hire permanent worker yet, according to The Press Enterprise. This sentiment is visible across the country, as the monthly index for the American Staffing Association - a Virginia-based group that represents most…

The Georgia Department of Labor reports that Atlanta's unemployment rate is dropping, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The city added 8,600 new jobs in March, and saw its jobless rate fall from 10.2 percent to 9.8 percent since February, the news source adds. In addition, hiring at temporary employment agencies - usually a harbinger…

The Labor Department reports that temporary-help services employment increased to about 2.3 million in March, up from its lowest point of about 1.7 million in mid-2009, according to MarketWatch. Neil Alexander of the law firm Littler Mendelson tells the news source that many of his company's clients have laid off thousands of employees, and are…

According to financial job site FINS, temporary staffing usually crops up during the early part of an economic recovery. However, during this most recent restoration, more jobs are opening up at senior levels. "The companies we work with don't want to hire people full-time, even in C-level positions," Don Murray, chief executive officer of recruiting…

InformationWeek's second annual State of Information Technology Outsourcing Survey reported that respondents are three times more likely to have the ability to add a contractor than they are to bring on staff. The survey found that 72 percent of respondents said they use temp or contract workers, with 45 percent saying it's a new approach…

The Northern Nevada Chamber of Commerce will tentatively introduce a newly created Professional Employer Organization to act as its employer of record, notes Northern Nevada Business Weekly. The news source adds that a series of meetings last week between the NNCC and its potential PEO, Applied Chamber Solutions, discussed the proposal. Jim Annis, president and…