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Home Depot to hire 80,000 temporary workers

Posted on February 24th, 2015 Read time: 2 minutes

As the economy continues to show signs of improvement, the use of temporary workers by companies is higher than it has ever been. Temps provide a wide range of benefits for the businesses that use them, as well as the employer of record that sends these individuals out on assignments.

The biggest advantage is that an organization can measure the impact a contract worker will have on the business without making a long-term commitment by hiring an individual on a full-time basis. Not only does this activity generate a steady stream of income for the temp employee and revenue for the employer of record, but the company also has an opportunity to bolster its workforce and maintain a level of operational efficiency that is impossible to achieve when the company is short staffed.

In preparation for its busy spring season, Home Depot is planning to hire as many as 80,000 temporary workers to accommodate the rush of anticipated customers during this time.

"Spring is a great time to join The Home Depot, where you can work alongside a fun, energetic team that's passionate about the latest home improvement innovations and great customer service," Tim Crow, executive vice president of human resources, said in a press release.

Home Depot is following a trend set by other retailers that increased their hiring of temporary workers during popular shopping seasons.

Contract employment at an all-time high
According to The Economic Populist blog, Kelly Services, an employer of record, is the third-largest job creator in the U.S. The company employed as many as 555,000 people last year. On the whole, staffing agencies have been a valuable business partner to companies as the economy continues to improve. Money News wrote that in 2014, temporary workers accounted for 2.1 percent of all employment in the U.S., twice as high as levels recorded in 1990.

The use of contract workers will continue to be a growing trend. Supplemental staffing agencies should begin aggressively recruiting the unemployed or individuals who may be in between jobs and looking for an opportunity to showcase their talent and skills. If more companies decide to employ temporary workers over permanent, full-time staffers, then agencies need to be prepared for the increased demand. It helps to be proactive now in sourcing for qualified candidates as opposed to being reactive when clients submit their staffing needs.

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