There are at present 1.7 million temporary work force in the organized sector that is likely to swell to 9 million workers in the coming 10 years, in fact by 2025, it is expected that 10 per cent of the overall workforce in India could be working on contract and temporary assignments employed through staffing organisations.
When it comes to seeking out a job, many have a tendency to favour permanent positions and avoid even looking at contractual roles. But I am sharing some interesting stories wherein the employees themselves have opted for temporary and creative jobs over permanent ones.
1. Focus on building skills.
I know an IT professional working with HTML and XML development for a well-known Internet retailer, he on the contrary is quite happy with his temporary job because instead of answering phones and ordering office supplies, his temp job is better for his resume building because he is learning new IT skills. The earlier full-time job was stagnant and the new skills he is acquiring now makes him more qualified for better paying full-time jobs in the near future.
2. More focus on network in a job, not longevity in a job.
A temp job where one can do interesting stuff with interesting people is better for building network than full-time jobs. An employee has exposure of doing creative / smart work much more than what he was doing before, so they have a better disposition for meeting people in their professional life.
3. Work when you want to work, a major attraction to todays youth.
There are lots of advantages like flexible hours, more freedom to ‘be your own boss’ and at the end of the contract, you can leave freely. These attract the youths of today more.
Flexi work also allows for better work-life balance because employees are free to negotiate their working time and conditions than a traditional permanent employee.
4. Contract jobs can be used as Springboards.
Contract roles can also be springboards to 'better' jobs in the near future as the upgraded skills acquired during contractual jobs enable an employee to bag better paying jobs . So, the advantages in contract roles are numerous and employees in these positions still have a lot to benefit . In fact, one study found that contractual employees were just as satisfied with their jobs as permanent employees. CalibeHR, a staffing company where I work, the benefits contract employees enjoy is actually at par with full timers.
Contract roles, because of their time-restricted nature, often call for employees to intiate and take ownership of their work. This means there is more opportunity for autonomy and making their mark in the workplace. This greater chance to prove oneself might be rewarded more than a traditional employee who is bound by the company's advancement structure.
In the above context, of the Indian employment scenario contractual staffing industry can make major contribution to current Socio- Economic environment.
- Promote youth employment
- Reduce gender misbalance in employment
- Assist in transitioning from informal employment into formal employment.
- Creating opportunity for educated unemployed to bridge the skill vs. opportunity gap.
The advantages are multiple for organisation in engaging contractual and flexible resources as they derive flexibility in manpower planning, lesser administrative burden, cost effectiveness and enabling one to focus on their core business.
A top most factor encouraging businesses to adopt flexi staffing model would be skill shortages (staff supplied failing to meet the skill requirements)
While businesses have started focusing on their core businesses to stay competitive in the market, they unanimously agree that business cyclicality /seasonality is one of the main reasons that is allowing the flexi and contractual staffing industry to consistently grow at the enormous pace that it is doing today.
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