Nearly half of employers nationwide plan to hire temporary or contract workers this year, according to a Harris Poll commissioned by CareerBuilder. A separate study from CareerBuilder and Emsi shows even more companies will enlist help from the temporary staffing industry over the next three years. The study shows temporary staffing trends including a rise in temp employment with 173,478 jobs from 2016 to 2018, which is an increase of almost 6 percent.
“Today, nearly 3 million people are employed in temporary jobs, and that number will continue to grow at a healthy pace over the next few years as companies strive to keep agile in the midst of changing market needs,” said Kyle Braun, president of CareerBuilder’s Staffing and Recruiting Group. “Opportunities are opening up in a variety of occupations and pay levels, and this is a trend we’re seeing in a wide range of industries and company sizes.”
“With many of the recent changes in federal law and the limited market for great talent, we continue to see clients very agreeable to contract, temp and temp-to-hire arrangements,” adds Mark Turpin, Founder/CEO of The HT Group.
Nationwide, the temporary staffing industry reports the biggest gains through 2018 for temp workers paid $15 or more an hour will be for computer service representatives, administrative assistants (excluding legal, medical and executive) and human resources specialists. Temp workers in jobs that pay less than $15 per hour will see more positions added for team assemblers (light industrial) as well as nursing assistants and personal care aides in the medical field.
What about temporary staffing trends in Texas specifically? We worked with CareerBuilder and its specialized process for tracking staffing patterns to find out. Among the most popular temp jobs (in number of people serving in those positions), we uncovered the following insights:
Top 20 Fastest Growing Temp Jobs in Texas (Above $15/hour)
| Our Ranking | Description | Employed in Industry Group (2015) | Employed in Industry Group (2018) | % Change (2015 – 2018) |
| 1 | Engineering Technicians (Except Drafters) | 728 | 841 | 16% |
| 2 | Machinists | 2,187 | 2,442 | 12% |
| 3 | Computer Systems Analysts | 1,580 | 1,739 | 10% |
| 4 | Software Developers, Applications | 1,332 | 1,436 | 8% |
| 5 | Network and Computer Systems Administrators | 1,473 | 1,588 | 8% |
| 6 | Human Resources Specialists | 7,695 | 8,281 | 8% |
| 7 | Business Operations Specialists | 1,147 | 1,234 | 8% |
| 8 | First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 1,408 | 1,513 | 7% |
| 9 | General and Operations Managers | 2,053 | 2,205 | 7% |
| 10 | Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing (Except Technical and Scientific Products) | 745 | 800 | 7% |
| 11 | Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 2,015 | 2,162 | 7% |
| 12 | Accountants and Auditors | 1,321 | 1,416 | 7% |
| 13 | Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 2,101 | 2,252 | 7% |
| 14 | Electricians | 910 | 974 | 7% |
| 15 | Computer User Support Specialists | 2,832 | 3,030 | 7% |
| 16 | Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers | 3,286 | 3,515 | 7% |
| 17 | Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | 1,668 | 1,784 | 7% |
| 18 | Sales Representatives, Services, All Other | 3,202 | 3,412 | 7% |
| 19 | Loan Interviewers and Clerks | 862 | 917 | 6% |
| 20 | Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks | 1,176 | 1,251 | 6% |
Top 20 Fastest Growing Temp Jobs in Texas (Below $15/hour)
| Our Ranking | Description | Employed in Industry Group (2015) | Employed in Industry Group (2018) | % Change (2015 – 2018) |
| 1 | Production Workers | 2,761 | 3,062 | 11% |
| 2 | Electrical and Electronic Equipment Assemblers | 2,234 | 2,473 | 11% |
| 3 | Retail Salespersons | 1,655 | 1,810 | 9% |
| 4 | Home Health Aides | 1,200 | 1,305 | 9% |
| 5 | Assemblers and Fabricators | 4,898 | 5,325 | 9% |
| 6 | Team Assemblers | 12,272 | 13,293 | 8% |
| 7 | Substitute Teachers | 1,801 | 1,950 | 8% |
| 8 | Hand Packers and Packagers | 8,868 | 9,588 | 8% |
| 9 | Light Truck or Delivery Services Drivers | 1,069 | 1,153 | 8% |
| 10 | Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders | 5,029 | 5,423 | 8% |
| 11 | Stock Clerks and Order Fillers | 3,813 | 4,101 | 8% |
| 12 | Janitors and Cleaners (Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners) | 3,236 | 3,478 | 7% |
| 13 | Hand Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers | 37,053 | 39,815 | 7% |
| 14 | Waiters and Waitresses | 1,517 | 1,628 | 7% |
| 15 | Construction Laborers | 4,293 | 4,606 | 7% |
| 16 | Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers | 1,360 | 1,459 | 7% |
| 17 | Nursing Assistants | 2,847 | 3,054 | 7% |
| 18 | Security Guards | 1,345 | 1,441 | 7% |
| 19 | Customer Service Representatives | 10,630 | 11,380 | 7% |
| 20 | Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators | 5,151 | 5,514 | 7% |
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas reports that, in July, skill shortages and hiring difficulties for IT professionals, medical staff and construction workers were apparent. These skill shortages may contribute to employers turning to more temporary staffing in those areas. A slight decrease in manufacturing jobs includes an oil and gas sector that is “starting to stabilize, but there’s not yet a rebound in oil and gas,” says Keith Phillips, assistant vice president and senior economist at the San Antonio branch office of the Dallas Fed. Once again, this uncertainty in the manufacturing industry—particularly with oil and gas—may be contributing to temporary staffing trends.
What temporary staffing trends have you seen and where do you plan to ramp up? Do you agree or disagree with these findings? Let us know!
Image Copyright: luzitanija / 123RF Stock Photo
