Amid the slow employment growth, there is a silver lining that has come in form of temporary jobs, which many unemployed people in Cobb, Georgia, have turned to in recent months, the Marietta Daily Journal reports.
The latest data from the Satellite Industry Report issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ranked the metro Atlanta region as the fourth best place for office/clerical and finance/accounting staffing. The region also came in fifth for marketing/creative and legal staffing, according to the media outlet.
Staffing firms in the area say that have seen a major increase in the number of temporary and temp-to-hire positions, and that several of these firms are actively seeking out staffing services. Many of the people who have used the services find they receive several offers at the same time - a great sign for the temporary staffing industry.
Several opportunities are currently opening up for entry-level positions including administrative assistants, accounting clerks, customer service, telesales. Other positions that may require a higher level of training are also opening up, such as marketing, property management and human resources, the media outlet stated.
It is clear that companies are hiring, however their process for doing so has become highly selective, staffing firms have found. This has also led companies to hold onto temporary workers for longer periods than ever before, and in Cobb and other parts of the Atlanta metro region, this is certainly the case, the media outlet stated
In the current economic climate, the decision to use temporary staffing services may depend on a number of factors. Companies are keeping a watchful eye on the state of the economy, which traditionally goes hand-in-hand with temporary employment, while the recent decision on President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law will also affect many companies' decisions.
As more companies begin to grow in post-recession times, they are increasingly finding that temp workers are cost-efficient, as many companies say they are uncertain if their growth is sustainable. The healthcare reform, for example, is leading many companies to hire on a temporary basis, because the future of the healthcare industry is up in the air.
The energy sector has also benefited from temporary staffing services, according to the news provider. Mead Indoor EnviroTech, which provides companies with energy-efficient systems, said temp workers have been a huge help, as they have been answering phones and performing data entry, accounting, dispatch and clerical duties.
"It is an opportunity for us to try someone out to see if they are a good fit for our company before hiring them on a permanent basis," said Susan Wheeler, operations manager at Mead. "Our last temp-to-permanent position has been with us for almost two years. We currently have another temporary person who will be moving into a permanent position in the near future."
The biggest draw to temporary staffing may be the fact that they can hire highly qualified workers on an as-needed basis, and do not have to spend the time normally allocated to finding and recruiting top talent.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, total Atlanta-area employment in May 2012, the latest date for which data is available, stood at 2.35 million, an increase of 27,900, or 1.2 percent, compared with the same period in 2011.
The trade, transportation and utilities industries added the most jobs in May, with more than 19,700 added in the 12-month period between May 2011 and May 2012.