|
Temping has its benefits
|
 |
November 1, 1996: 12:16 p.m. ET
Temporary firms are sweetening the deal by offering health insurance
From Correspondent Carmine Gallo
|
NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Temporary jobs are now the fastest growing sector of the labor market, fueled in part by the corporate downsizing of the last few years.
But there's more going on than the simple replacement of good, secure jobs with bad ones.
It may look like business as usual at the Ranstad Staffing Services in Atlanta, but the company has just done something that's unusual.(3.1MB QuickTime movie)
The firm has offered to pay all of the health insurance premiums for any temporary worker who stays with Ranstad for a year, working at least six of those months.
That's double the rate temp firms usually pay, and it's also more than the average corporation, which usually covers 70 to 80 percent of the premiums for their full time workers.
"We want to be able to attract more people," said Jay Schaudies, executive vice president of Ranstad. "We want to be able to attract more business, and we think it's the right way to be doing business." (65K WAV) (65K AIFF)
Randstad is not the only temp company beefing up its benefits.
Olsten, one of the largest temporary services companies, will start offering a 401(k) plan next year, and the national trade group for temp agencies just started its own savings plan that member firms can offer their temp workers.
The low unemployment rate is partly responsible for this new-found generosity.
"What we're seeing here is a simple supply and demand problem. We have too many jobs and not enough qualified people to work in them," said Samuel Sacco of the National Association of Temporary and Staffing Services. (76K WAV) (76K AIFF)
The influx of high-level employees into the temporary job market is also driving the trend. Computer programmers, accountants, and lawyers are used to having benefits, and with increasing demand for their skills, they can get them.
So while many corporations are trying to save money on employee benefits, temp agency executives say that, in this market, it's worth the extra expense.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
