Local temp agencies help to boost economy

Staffing agencies don't necessarily like the term “temp agency.”

Kaly Etten, Cedar Rapids branch manager at Express Employment Professionals, for example, said that agency is a full-service staffing agency that paid 417 new employees in 2011, with an average of 162 people on their payroll per week.

“We do get project-based positions, but the candidates that just want ‘temp' work really do not fit well with the business we are trying to build,” Etten said. “We want individuals who want long-term employment because even a short-term-project-based position needs hardworking, dependable people.

“We get job orders called in by clients who need hard workers that are willing to prove themselves, and have consistent work history this year. There are many clients who are scared to hire employees who have been without work this year because there are so many jobs available in the $10 to $15 per hour pay rate in the industrial setting.”

She said applicants at Express must have six months consistent work history and have three professional references before the company will place them in a position.

At locally owned Cambridge Staffing, General Manager Jan Collins emphasized that “We stress attendance, dependability and performance. If those attributes aren't shared by the applicant, it might be best for them to look elsewhere.”

He said the Cedar Rapids agency actually rejects approximately 35 percent of the applicants because of “baggage.”

“We deliver an individual to an employer that knows what the assignment is and is ready to meet those needs,” he said. “We sincerely try to match the job seekers skill sets to the best job opportunity.”

Cambridge Staffing sells temporary and temp-to-hire placement services in clerical and light industrial applications, and outplacement for displaced workers in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Davenport. Collins said the agency processes some 2,500 W-2s each year, with average assignments lasting six to eight weeks.

But the current economic conditions aren't necessarily creating an influx of job seekers, Collins noted.

“I wouldn't say we are experiencing a wider employment pool because the government keeps extending unemployment, so many potential applicants choose to stay home as opposed to working because they can continue to receive unemployment benefits,” Collins said.

Gaps in work history are a major red flag for employers.

“We are seeing a lot of people that haven't been employed in over a year, and it is very difficult to place them because their skill sets aren't as sharp as those that have been working, even if it is just a temporary position,” Etten said.

Kelly Harris, branch manager at Spherion Staffing Services, added that she has noticed a trend of highly skilled individuals taking on entry level jobs.

“Maybe they aren't having any luck in their field, or their unemployment benefits are running out. We are definitely encouraging our employees to not put all their eggs in one basket,” Harris said.

“If you've always worked in a telecom job and applied for telecom jobs and can't get work in the telecom field, then look into a different industry, broaden your career search.”

Harris noted the company even has placed workers at call centers for political surveys, a business she anticipates will pick up as the presidential campaign progresses.

Spherion, which offers temporary, permanent, outsource placement and temp-to-hire services across a variety of sectors, acknowledges broadening the sectors for which one might apply may require new skills. The agency offers a variety of training opportunities for job seekers, including Microsoft Office training, typing and other clerical skills, light industrial training, safety training and math aptitude testing, Harris noted.

While Cambridge Staffing typically relies on the employer to handle training, the agency does work with job seekers to view orientation videos or review orientation packets that explain the position, as well as the rules and responsibilities.

Of course, the positions staffing agencies are able to offer depend on clients' needs.

“If their customers are busy, then they are busy and that makes us busy,” Harris said.

For example, at Spherion a majority of manufacturing and light industrial positions came open in the fourth quarter of 2011.

One advantage to working through a staffing agency is that they typically provide benefits such as worker's comp insurance, FICA, Medicare and unemployment insurance to job seekers taking positions at companies with whom the agencies have contracts.

“It allows the employer to add someone to their payroll without the inherent responsibilities normally associated with it,” Collins said. “The employer can take the person on for a couple of months without going through all the normal hiring processes and then let them go when they are no longer needed.”