Section Two
As indicated, the nature of temporary jobs is changing as
there is a shift toward the higher skill levels. Temporary
workers now include accountants, computer specialists,
engineering personnel, financial executives, and technical
writers. In information systems, temporary management
services are being used for project management, installation of
new systems, or during transition periods. Temporary
management personnel and executives are sometimes early
retirees from major computer companies or managers displaced
as a result of restructuring.^120
Factors Prompting Use of Temporary or
Contingent Employees
A number of factors encourage the use of temporary or
contingent employees. Because of economic uncertainty or
turbulence, many employers are reluctant to hire permanent
employees and have increased their use of contingent
employees. Another factor is fluctuating workloads.^121 A client
of Atlanta-based Norrell Corporation provides an example of
adaptation to such fluctuations. The client organization has only
50 employees, while Norrell supplies it with 450 temporaries.
Because the client needs most employees for only a seven-
month cycle, it uses temporaries. Previously, the organization
had 400 full-time employees and was overstaffed part of the
time and understaffed the rest of the time.^122 Companies also