Temporary-staffing industry sees demand increasing
For the lowdown on job growth, perhaps no group has a better bird's-eye view than the temporary-staffing industry. And the view is improving.
Increased demand for temp workers usually precedes an increase in permanent hiring. Such demand is already evident at some staffing companies and includes newly created job categories.
Lloyd Staffing in Melville recently placed a director of social media at a Manhattan magazine publisher, a reflection of the growing influence of Twitter and Facebook and other online social networks.
"We have had many positions related to social media because companies want to leverage social media to impact their brand, both online and in print," said Nancy Schuman, vice president of marketing at Lloyd.
Federal stimulus money is also driving demand for temporary employees, she added, particularly among engineers, especially those skilled in waste water systems, tunnels, rails and bridges.
"There is a high demand for that especially in the tri-state area," Schuman said.
And as companies prepare to rebuild their business amid the recovery, the demand for sales "hunters" has increased, she said. They are the people who generate sales leads and set appointments for senior sales staff.
"For a while, those people were being let go," she noted.
The shortage of accountants continues to make the industry a hot job prospect, and tax season makes it even more so, she said.
And efforts to digitize health care records nationwide are driving demand for highly specialized information technology workers, according to Schuman, who advises any IT professionals "looking to move their career along" to give the health care industry a serious look.
