Currently, the job market is a volatile and radically changing environment for both employers and candidates. As the job market shifts towards remote and temporary work, this opens many new employment options for companies worldwide.

However, the similarities between these employment types can get a little confusing, and some people even make the mistake of believing that they are all synonyms for “contractors.” Filling open roles with the most effective type of employee requires a fundamental understanding of the employment types available. In this article, we will be diving into today’s most popular recruiting options and their differences: temp hires, temp-to-hire, and staffing.

Temporary Hires

A temporary hire is a straightforward employment alternative involving the recruitment of a freelance professional. This professional can be responsible for tasks depending on their skill set and the employer’s role. The main factor that separates a temporary hire from a standard employee is that a company retains its services for a set amount of time.

Before contracts are signed, the business and freelancer will agree to a specific length of employment. Once that period comes to a close, the freelancer ceases work for that business. This time restriction makes temporary work ideal for filling niche roles that do not require long-term investment. However, companies need to avoid common hiring mistakes with temporary workers to ensure both company and the freelancer are happy with the contract.

Temporary-to-Hire

While a temporary hire is straightforward, temporary-to-hire employees are a little more involved. What sets a temporary-to-hire employee apart is that they start as a temporary hire, much like we discussed above, working in the short-term to fill a contract. The critical difference is that the freelancer works towards becoming a full-time hire by the time their contract ends. Their temporary hire status serves as something of a trial period. This gives companies the ability to try out an employee and ensure they are a good match before extending a full-time offer. If their performance is satisfactory when their tenure is up, they can fill the role permanently.

Staffing

Unlike temporary hires or temporary-to-hire employees, staffing is a recruiting practice rather than a type of employee. Staffing is the process of employee recruitment, screening, and selection – the goal is to help candidates find a job and find qualified hires for open positions for a business. Staffing mainly focuses on finding highly-qualified talent for temporary positions – which can include both temporary hires and temp-to-hire candidates.

More often than not, when looking for temporary fulfillment, companies often seek out staffing firms to locate professionals with the skill set required to fill the position. Staffing firms provide benefits like:

• Faster hiring
• Reduced costs for overhead costs and overtime pay
• Access to a broader talent pool
• Access to specialized knowledge and skillsets
• Save time on onboarding and training
• The staffing agency handles the entire hiring process, background checks, and payroll

For many companies, this is better than maintaining a complete hiring department.

Find the Perfect Fit for Your Needs

When looking to find the perfect candidate for your team – regardless of whether they are temporary or temp-to-hire – staffing can be a challenge depending on the resources and talent pool you have available. 

If you are having difficulty finding qualified professionals to fill the open positions in your company, Action Group Staffing can help. We work tirelessly to help companies find the perfect candidates for their needs. If you need help filling temporary or temp-to-hire roles, contact Action Group Staffing today.