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Temporary workers can help ease the mid-level hiring crisis in California

Posted on August 11th, 2014 Read time: 2 minutes

Although hiring has picked up in many areas of the country, hiring challenges are still an issue in many places. In California, the mid-wage job market has become stagnant. According to The Los Angeles Times, employment opportunities are becoming abundant on both the low- and high-end pay scales, while the availability of jobs in the middle sector – defined as pay between $15 and $30 per hour – are scarce.

"People talk about it like an hourglass," Tracey Grose, vice president of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, told The Times. "There are fewer opportunities for people in the middle."

Citing the opinion of economists, the newspaper stated that if this trend continues in the state, it will create higher levels of poverty, have an adverse effect on the real estate market and be detrimental to consumer spending. However, California-based companies can help remedy this problem by using temporary workers who fall into the middle-wage category.

Hiring permanent workers full-time costs a company much more than just the employees' salaries. There are also insurance costs and contributions that must be made to the state unemployment fund. However, contract workers help fill staffing gaps within a company without it having to make a long-term commitment.

Additionally, according to a Monster Worldwide survey cited by Staffing Industry Analysts, job seekers are willing to make a number of concessions. Twenty-four percent of respondents said they would be willing to work more hours. Twenty-eight percent have no problem traveling longer distances to and from work, while 33 percent are OK with being placed in temporary assignments.

Mid-level workers are likely more skilled than their lower-level counterparts, but who not achieved a level of expertise as those who are on the higher end of the pay scale. However, with this class of worker appearing to be in abundance in California, companies can tap into this resource by offering opportunities on a temporary basis.

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