Hiring temporary employees could be the way of the future. According to Voice of America, an external federal broadcaster, one in three working Americans is in a part-time, freelance, temporary or project-based job. But with the advent of new health care policies, the number will likely be growing even higher.
New reforms require companies with more than 50 employees to offer health insurance to those who work more than 30 hours a week. Hiring temp workers with hours below the minimum could be a popular loophole. Health care, however, is not the only reason for the growing trend.
Peter Capelli, professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, said temp jobs are a way of dealing with an uncertain economy.
"Companies don't know for sure these days whether demand will be up or down, or how long projects will last," he told Voice of America. Life-time employment arrangements are more difficult to accommodate.
According to Staffing Industry Analysts, the U.S. staffing industry – which includes companies that recruit, manage or payroll temp employees – is expected to reach $139.4 billion by 2014, which is a 6 percent increase from 2013.
