TAWs…

Temporary employment services (often referred to as temporary employment agencies or firms) offer client companies the services of temporary employees who possess specific skills. This arrangement can provide a client company with needed help during peak demand periods, staffing shortages, or the vacations of regular employees, without requiring the time, expense, and long-term commitment of hiring a new employee. Temporary employment firms typically undertake hiring and firing decisions, issue paychecks, withhold payroll taxes, and make contributions for unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, and Social Security for the employees serving in their client’s places of business. Client companies simply describe their staffing needs and time frame, then pay a set hourly rate to the temporary employment agency for the services of a “temp.”

A large staffing service can bring in any number of temporaries to work days, nights, weekends, or holidays—and not just to perform low-skill tasks. Specialized temporary services can routinely handle specific, time-sensitive and highly skilled projects. In fact, very often temporary workers are so qualified, employers end up adding them to the full-time staff, saving the high cost of hiring and training. Additionally, a temporary employee allows you to judge whether you need a full-time person for a particular job or if ongoing temporaries can complete the tasks.