Temporary, Contingent and Flexible Staffing Demystified

Companies today are gradually using temporary staffing services to bolster their hiring cycle. Terms like ‘temporary staffing’, ‘contingent staffing’ and ‘flexible staffing’ are common today when looking at hiring options for a job. However, most people confuse all three with the same meaning and use them interchangeably. In fact, there are differences between these three types of staffing provided by employment agencies, especially in their respective practical application and business impact. Let’s discuss these staffing services in detail for a better understanding.

temporary staff

Temporary staffing is often a route a company takes to fill an immediate vacancy for a limited period of time. Traditionally, this approach was taken for non-critical business functions, such as management or other administrative positions, and to fill a short-term need for vacation, sick, maternity, etc. As a result, the combination of quality and skills of these temporary employees was not given much importance.

Over time, the availability of more skilled and diverse labor on the supply side and the inherent benefits of flexibility and cost on the demand side has seen a significant change in the nature of temporary staffing.

contingent staffing

Temporary staffing is a concept that has evolved from temporary staffing. It covers a broader range of personnel services, from strategic, operational to administrative functions. Contingency staffing is typically long-term and encompasses resources with a broad skill set, including consultants, temporary staff, freelancers, or contractors, who help meet more strategic business needs. There are three types of contingent worker boards:

Traditional temporary workers: These are the candidates who generally work for a short period of time, mainly to supplement their financial needs.

transition workers: Most people choose temporary work as a bridge to permanent jobs. They use these temporary jobs as an opportunity to gain new skills and show them off to potential new employers.

long-term workers: Some temporary staffing is done long-term and candidates are generally better educated, have a higher pay ratio, enjoy benefits, and are people who prefer and enjoy the freedom and independence that such jobs offer.

flexible staff

Flexible staffing can be described as a combination of the first two hiring strategies: temporary staffing and contingency staffing. Companies that opt ​​for flexible staffing first look at their dynamic business workload before hiring. Employers who can adapt in staffing requirements according to their business requirements are seen to have an advantage over their competitors who do not employ flexible staffing strategies.