Karlene Meister

Temp work is normally viewed as a stepping stone to a more permanent position in a company or to a new career path.

But nowadays temp work wears a different suit. As companies climb out of the recession's black hole, they still have painful memories of all those layoffs they were forced to implement and so hesitate to hire too many people for fear of having to lay them off.

The result: more companies are hiring temps permanently as they can be easily cut if demand ever falls. We can never know how long the good times will last.

Many companies end up hiring too many workers, and so they find they will need to reconsider their hiring practice. An ideal model is to have a barebones permanent staff and have temp workers perform specific projects, and when these projects are done the workers can move on to a next assignment, or leave the company. The ending is not so bad, as the temp worker can then get a different assignment from the temp agency with another company.

Economists normally say that when there is an increase in temp hiring it's a sign that a rise in permanent hiring is not far behind. Now, as the economy picks up, companies will probably rely on temp workers while outsourcing functions that are deemed nonessential

For what it's worth, temp work without its health insurance and other benefits is better than months and months of no work. It is not as looked down upon as it used to be, because of the increasing unemployment rate. Temping is a great way to moonlight. It also adds to your experience and is a great way to test a job to see if it's a good fit.

Some workers still see a temp job as a foot in the door. Regardless, whether you are a permanent temp worker or temp looking for more permanent work, some rules still apply. Treat the job as if it were already permanent, do your best work, dress professionally, stay a bit longer after work to finish a task if necessary, and if you want more challenging work ask for it.

Do share your thoughts. Is your company hiring more temp workers this year?