Many workers have sophisticated skills and some companies budget for temps

Demand for specialized skills
Companies are increasingly demanding more specialized skills from temporary workers. It’s not enough for warehouse workers to be able to lift – they have to be able to handle inventory and complete data entry – and receptionists have to know Microsoft Word and Excel at the least, Schneiderman said.
Businesses are recognizing they can hire highly skilled project professionals through staffing services in specialized areas like finance, information technology and administrative support.
“People call us because they figure we have people with higher skill levels,” she said. “If they wanted mediocre workers, they’d hire anyone off the street.”
In an attempt to increase the skill set of many under-qualified workers, Kelly Services offers a free computer skills tutorial for its workers. WorkSource also has skills training.
“We don’t want to just put people in our database,” Schneiderman said. “We want to put them to work and increase their skills so they can earn more money and get better placements.”
Beam said many workers are coming to staffing services with more sophisticated computer skills. Some have experience with PageMaker and InDesign, where basic computer skills used to cut it.
Schneiderman said there have been layoffs in Southwest Washington this year, which has increased some of the skill sets being funneled into staffing services.
Hot temp sectors include manufacturing, office staff and accountants.
As the forecasted skills shortage grows nearer, these companies should be prepared to compete harder for these higher skilled workers. But a temporary workforce that is presenting itself, perhaps for the first time in such force, is retirees.
The pool may grow substantially in the next few years as active boomers who may not be ready to stop working completely continue to retire.
Nisenfeld expects to see continued strength in the temporary market in the coming months. She also expects there will be some loosening of the labor market, but it will be offset by retirements and regular exits from the workforce.
“Some companies are going to have to rethink what they’re doing to recruit because it’s so competitive for good employees,” Schneiderman said. “They can’t compete with low, low salaries.”
Nisenfeld said she wouldn’t be surprised if most companies budget for temporary help – the SWWDC does.
“It’s a great way to handle unforeseen tasks and backed up workflow,” she said. “It’s a regular cost of doing business.”