Temporary Talent Can Help Your Business Succeed in 2023

This year, many businesses have had to adjust strategies in order to set themselves up for success. One main area of focus has been hiring; how can organizations maintain or optimize headcount?

In this market, it may be difficult to add permanent headcount to your business, even if there is an immediate need for talent. This is where temporary employees may be an excellent solution.

Many respondents to our recent poll to our LinkedIn network agree, as they told us that they are increasing their levels of temp hiring this year. Should your organization be doing the same?

Need Temporary Top Talent? Get in Touch

An Agile Hiring Strategy

Two factors that contribute to a business’s success in an uncertain market are great talent and flexibility. High-quality employees can help you to navigate the ship through choppy waters, and an agile and flexible strategy will empower everyone to adjust the course when necessary.

Hiring interim talent can help an organization to achieve both goals. These hires allow organizations to bring on great talent, even if adding permanent headcount is not in the cards for the moment. It’s an excellent way to navigate uncertainty, and many businesses are adopting this strategy.

When we asked our community on LinkedIn why they were increasing their temp hiring efforts:

• 46% said their main motivation was to achieve more flexibility in their hiring strategy
• 26% pointed specifically to economic concerns

Organizations are looking to increase interim hiring not only because of the economic climate, but also because of the lack of talent currently available on the market. High-quality candidates for permanent roles have been scarce for a couple of years, but even more so now as many are hesitant to change course in this environment. Temporary hires, however, are by nature looking for new opportunities regularly.

It is also important to note that temporary hires are a good interim solution as they enter a business with the skillset needed to excel right away. Very few need an adjustment period in order to succeed in their roles. We have seen this happen multiple times, and it has given some of our clients the room to be more selective about who they decide to hire for permanent roles. In some instances, they have decided to retain these temporary workers long-term.

How to Hire Top Temp Talent

We’ve seen a particular interest in interim hiring for IT roles as well as Accounting and Finance roles. There is especially high demand for those within the Audit, Risk, and Compliance functions, as they help businesses navigate the ever-changing regulatory environment. Even so, contract hires can be relevant for a variety of roles and functions for the reasons outlined above, or simply to fill the gap between permanent hires. As such, attracting contract candidates is very similar to attracting a candidate for a permanent position.

A competitive rate is always going to be a factor when making a hire, but it is not the only consideration. Though company culture may not be as pivotal for an interim worker, it is still important. Ensure that you're speaking to candidates for temp roles about working environment and values, as this could be a deciding factor if they receive two similar offers.

Engaging work and projects is also key to many temp candidates, so always bring details about what the role entails to the forefront of your conversations.

Collaborating with the right recruitment partner can also be extremely beneficial when searching for interim talent. At Michael Page, we have expert recruiters working specifically in the temp space who can provide you with market insights to inform your hiring strategy. We also have a robust network of temp candidates who we foster strong relationships with, keeping in contact and staying aware of what they are looking for once their current contract ends. This means that you can have access to top interim candidates before they are even active on the market.

Additionally, we provide benefits like healthcare to the interim talent that we place, which can add a lot of value to your offer and contracts. We also handle weekly payroll for these employees, offer vetting and background check services during the hiring process, and facilitate the process of converting employees from temp to perm if our client so chooses.

What's Next?

If you are considering adding a temporary element to your hiring strategy, please reach out to our team of expert recruitment consultants today.

Start Hiring Today