What can temporary employment agencies do for you?

This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of private, temporary employment (temp) agencies. It also discusses how they differ from state operated one-stop career centers.

The following are reasons why people sometimes use temp agencies:

1. Temp employment is ideal for people who don’t want full time, rigid employment commitments. Examples can include people such as homemakers and retirees.
2. If the company officials at the temporary employment assignments are impressed with the temp employees, such assignments sometimes can lead to permanent employment offers to the temp employees who want full time work.
3. The process of being assigned by the temp agencies to temporary assignments is usually faster and less competitive than the process of being hired for permanent, full time positions by companies.
4. Temp work today does not have as much of a stigma as it has had in the past.

The following are reasons why people may avoid temp agencies:

1. Temp agencies are concerned mainly about the satisfaction of their client companies. Unlike tax supported, one-stop state career centers, temp agencies are profit making entities and do not commit much time, manpower, or expense to improve the employability of the workers they assign to different staffing requests.
2. Permanent employees are more likely to have a fuller range of benefits including 401Ks.
3. Unlike the state one-stop career centers, many temp agencies specialize in and offer staffing assignments in only specific occupations. 
4. Temp employees do not have job security or job seniority advantages.
5. Temp position employment may be less impressive on a resume than is permanent position employment.
6. Some temp agencies are fronts for employment scams.

In the Baltimore area, there are close to 200 temporary employment agencies. Although most of these agencies specialize in specific occupations, some, like Kelly Services  and Manpower Services, are large, multinational employment agencies that deal with dozens of occupations.

There are different ways to evaluate these agencies. Some have ratings submitted by satisfied or dissatisfied client companies or by the employees of these temp agencies. Also, using their Google descriptions, phone numbers, and the addresses, you can further evaluate them by computer research, phone calls, and face-to-face appointments.

By understanding temp agencies, you can decide what, if anything, they can do for your career.