Temporary turbulence: Local work agencies see effects of slowing economy (The Columbian)
The nation’s economic slowdown is hitting Clark County’s temporary occupation industry, further things look a bit brighter than during the last slowdown, say industry professionals.
“When times begin to get tough, you start by reducing your temp hires,” said Scott Bailey, regional economist for the Washington Employment Security Department
While managers with three of Clark County’session employment agencies say a diverse client base has helped them bear this latest downturn without much vary, Bailey said he’s seen a down trend in the broader temp job market.
By the numbers
Seasonally adjusted numbers for 2005 and much of 2006 showed that in that place were 2,500 temp jobs in the county. That total slipped to about 2,000 this April and it has been from 2,000 to 2,100 subsequently to. “I’m guessing what we are seeing in this place and nationwide is employers in part are sarcastic employment but maybe even to a greater extent cutting hours back,” Bailey said.
But if you look at the last recession, there was a greater downturn in temporary engrossment here, he said with a loss of 800 temp jobs.
Recovery didn’confidentially spring to kick in until 2003. But by early 2004 temp employment has climbed to between 2,300 to 2,400.
Not so bad
Chris Crongeyer, branch manager of Manpower in Vancouver, said his company is one of the largest employers in the county, sending out in greater numbers than 240 workers every day. Business has been steady.
“Year very year, we are very terminate to what we were before,” he said. He said Manpower tries to focus on “recession-proof” clients that will be long-term customers unconcerned of the economy. And the impact to the agency depends on by what mode its customers are affected. And not completely have been.
“It is so client-driven, even in an industry,” Crongeyer said. “For example, in manufacturing, it depends on what they are manufacturing. Some have been impacted, and some are doing just fine.
“At this point, Clark County, in my opinion, is not slowing from the top to the bottom of in like manner significantly that it is obvious at least in staffing. So hopefully, that is a positive sign,” Crongeyer said.
Brenda Falash, branch manager of Volt Services Group, said she thinks there has been a small and gradual slowdown in hiring across the board.
“We are not worried,” she related. “It is still pretty compact.”
Falash said the company is still busy and in some respects, each household slowdown actually helps temp agencies.
“It allows customers that admitting that they do have a slowdown, they can downsize without having to achieve layoffs,” she said. “They are able to staff up when they need to and then downsize when they need to, so we work really well with the ebb and flow of different companies.”
Express Employment Professionals, which recently changed its name in honor of its 25th anniversary, said the company is down 5 percent this year, after seeing a 40 percent increase in 2006 and a constant year in 2007.
“I wouldn’privately say it is bad,” uttered Vancouver franchise owner Eric Schubert. “There is a lot more effort to find the ones that are needing our help, but that they are out there. We’ve come across a lot lately.”
No recession talk
Schubert, who also is in set on of sales and business disclosure, said he finds it hard to hear all the talk about being in a recession.
“I slip on’t take heed it,” he said. “I only see it in a not many industries, in the same state viewed like housing and anything related to the housing market.”
Schubert said the type of jobs he sees in demand are industries related to retail goods, or what the state of Washington refers to as “dry goods.” And also the electronics perseverance such as computer chips and LEDs.
And when a particular type of avocation has growth, that usually means several type of jobs are needed for the reason that well.
“In my experience of doing this for 11 years now, admitting that manufacturing gets busier, then so does office, accounting and so on,” he said. “All of them get unnatural by business.”
Looking onward
Bailey said the temp job market is down from its peak, but for which cause much weaker the situation is depends on how you look at it.
“If you are along the course of more than 10 percent in (temporary) employment numbers? On the one hand, that is a pretty good hit,” he said. “On the other hand, it is not as much a carry the point like last time.”
And it is tranquillize overmuch early to maxim if things will be the same as the last downturn. But if he had to foretell, the answer would be a bit brighter.
“I would expect it to be not as deep,” Bailey said. “I don’t think it will be as bad in the Pacific Northwest as it already is in other places in the country. But it really is hard to figure out how this thing will put in action out.”
Schubert said he thinks that by mid-summer, the housing market and related fields may be looking at temp agencies for patronage.
“Because they are not firm if they should hire full-time,” he said. “I’ve been hearing a lot of talk that rabble are just unsure. And one of the things I talk about is that if they are unsure, will they give us a call or hire full-time. It sounds as if they are going to be giving temps a appoint.”
Businesses bank on agencies that offer experience
There are dozens of employment agencies in the phone book waiting for calls from businesses looking for fleeting workers. But which one is the right fit for your company? Managers at three temp Vancouver agencies — Manpower, Volt and Express Employment Professionals — recently shared some tips of what to look for if a business finds itself in need of temporary, or likewise permanent, workers.
The No. 1 thing they brought up? Experience.
Express owner Eric Schubert said, other than business ethics and integrity, industry experience is a must in a business that sees strong turnover.
The average staffing consultant lasts about a year, Schubert said. Imagine putting your trust in a company to employ the best employee for you when the interviewer working attached your behalf only has three months experience on the job.
That could show a big difference in the quality of employee found, he said.
“I think one of the biggest points a lot of us will try to sell is threatening the (employer’sitting) turnover by means of making a good fit,” Schubert said. “But if we can’cheek by jowl control our turnover, in what way can we control theirs?”
Brenda Falash, branch superintendent of the local Volt Services Group capacity, agrees.
“I think they need to look at stability. How long has the agency been around?” she said.
Manpower comptroller Chris Crongeyer said any experienced agency can offer more than just bodies to fill positions.
“In many cases, we have to educate our clients steady the reality of the talent crunch that we are involved in and the factors that can impact that,” Cryongeyer said, such as wages, work conditions, the economy and transportation issues. “All those things really combine and make a discrimination in the end quality.”
Every client that comes into an employment agency has specific needs, even if the positions being filled sound the sort as what another employer might be seeking.
That makes it very of moment for an agency to customize a disintegration for each client and find the best fit.
Tips on working with a hiring agency:
A first step would exist contacting an procurement to speak with a staffing specialist, or even going to a Web site to learn more about what the company does, said Crongeyer.
“That’s a good starting point. It’session not just ‘Here is what we do and trade conducive to a quote.’ ” He said. “We try to actually point of concentration on our clients needs and provide a customized solution to handle those staffing necessarily. We do all that in one lies to help them reduce the amount of temp needs by finding good mob. Typically there is smaller quantity turnover.”
Falash agreed and related it is not just a cookie-cutter business. Knowing what services an agency offers is important because each client has different needs.
“Every company is different, and that is what makes it fun,” she said. “It really truly is a partnership. We get to the place to where we know them and they know us.”
As every client is diverse, so are the staffing agencies out there ready to help fill employment needs. Some specialize in indubitable areas such as accounting, while others stretch a broad range of industries and offer both temp and permanent employee searches.
Manpower, for instance, advertises itself as a full-service staffing mediation and has full-time recruiters who specifically handle permanent placement, as well as staffing specialists who deal with other needs.
Volt Services Group said it could manage a program on or off situation and help with different HR functions as well.
Crongeyer said he has seen more temp-to-hire and direct placement in Clark County than just temporary employment in excess the past five years or so.
“I think it is a shift based on more of what we call the talent crunch,” he uttered.
Schubert said that about 80 percent of their temp jobs ended up life full-time hires last year.
“We often get calls that they need a temp for awhile. They’ve got an opening and use us to cloy the spot and they kind of retreive in succession their own,” he said. “What happens a lot is that we make a good placement and all of a sudden they hire them.”
Pricing can subsist complicated. Some positions require more interviewing and searching. More positions needed may mean a reduced cost for the client as well.
But Schubert said he thought the medial sum require to be paid in Clark County for a light industrial placement would be about 55 percent above the employee pay rate. On the office religious rite side, it would be more like 60 percent inasmuch as greater amount of testing and needed software is involved.
A temp action takes on the same costs that employers do for their staffs, such as workers compensation, payroll tax, assurance, overhead and more, Crongeyer. Then there are the recruiting costs on top of that, as well as possible benefits of that kind as freedom from disease insurance and holidays pay for the agencies’ temp workers.
Schubert said their services might cost more because their hiring process takes more time and includes Homeland Security and background checks, plus drug screening for everyone that walks through their doors.
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