Temp worker earnings rose in 2006

The Microtech View

On business, the workplace and
employee relations

January, 2007

Employment

You could have done a lot worse than be a
temporary worker in 2006 Through November the average annual growth in earnings
for temporary employees was up 95 percent over the first 11 months of 2005, the
highest average annual rate of growth for temps on record, according to Staffing
Industry Analysts, an industry research group That's quite a bit better than
the increase in average worker earnings for all industries of just 44 percent
over the same period

But what lies ahead? For the coming year we expect labor shortages to
intensify in certain sectors, driving salaries up for qualified workers The
information technology sector, for example, is seeing an increase in electronic
infrastructure investment by corporations If you have the skills to work in IT
you're in luck At a time when companies are expanding their payrolls to meet
demand, the oldest of the Baby Boomers are entering retirement and there aren't
enough qualified college graduates to take their place We anticipate
opportunities for experienced project managers, business analysts and quality
assurance personnel

 

Meanwhile if you're an accountant or in finance the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which
mandated changes in corporate reporting and corporate governance, will continue
to generate project assignments This has been one employment area where
companies have used a temporary-to-permanent hire strategy and we expect that to
continue in 2007 Job seekers who want to implement their own plan of joining a
company on a trial-basis to see if it fits, should have that chance in
professional services this year

Beyond 2007, employment in the staffing industry is expected to grow as fast,
if not faster, than just about any other business group, according to the
federal Bureau of Labor Statistics Look at the growth rates among the random
sampling of temporary job categories in the box on the prior page Those are BLS
estimates through 2014, using 2004 as a base year The growth is strong across a
variety of white collar and blue collar, high skilled and low-skilled
categories

The start of a new year is the perfect time to pause and consider career
options As more workers see the opportunities that exist through staffing
firms, Microtech is there to assist them

Blogging

Because of MySpace, YouTube and many other ways
we use the Internet, Time magazine named you, as in us, the Person of the Year
If you're like many job seekers participating in the "digital democracy" through
a blog, publishing your thoughts and opinions for all to read, be aware that
increasingly employers are searching the Internet and reviewing such items when
they consider candidates for openings So keep some thoughts in mind:

• Remember your career When you write, demonstrate what you know,
  what you're good at and what you have to offer Everyone has opinions on
  politics, sex and religion, but potential employers might be put off by rants
  about George Bush or the World Trade Organization
  
  
  
  


• Don't be boring either There's a book titled "No One Cares What
  You Had for Lunch" Its point is that too many people write about the mundane
  Before you start blogging, be sure that you'll have enough material to sustain a
  high level of content Write a few in advance of putting them on your site
  Think about your expertise and provide useful information to readers
  
  
  
  


• Write short, but often If you decide to blog, make a commitment
  to post two or three times per week It will help you build a readership and
  sharpen your focus But don't write novels On the Internet people don't have
  the patience to read long essays and the time it consumes to write two or three
  long articles per week may be more than you can afford

Staffing Industry Industry-wide numbers aren't in, but 2007 was clearly a good year for the temporary staffing sector The most recent Beige Book report by the Federal Reserve, released in late November, reports that business is "booming" for New England-based staffing firms and that the region is matching or exceeding growth rates in the rest of the country That's impressive when one considers that overall employment growth in New England is lagging the US The Fed report also states that staffing firms have seen strong demand from a variety of "high-end" sectors, including allied health and nursing, biotech and pharmaceuticals, engineering, IT, and the financial sector Labor shortages continue among engineers, nurses, IT specialists, and other skilled professionals There's a labor crunch in parts of the South as well, including lower-skilled workers as well as professional and technical occupations That's pushing up wages along the Gulf Coast and South Florida, according to the Fed

Regards,



Joe Donahue

President