Contract Recruitment: Friend or Foe?

Although Westray Recruitment provides permanent recruitment solutions, a large proportion of our business is also secured through contract recruitment services.

Contract workers are vital to businesses as a recent REC study has discovered that 57% of employers, cited agency workers as being hugely important for growth. Additionally, 42% of employers in the North stressed that agency workers were important in helping managing uncertainty. With contract recruitment being so prevalent within the recruitment market, I would like to take this opportunity to highlight the reasoning as to why employers utilise these workers.

The REC survey indicated that 65% of employers use the services of contract workers to respond to peaks in demand, 57% to respond to growth, 52% to meet the requirements of fast changing organisations, 56% to cover leave of absence, 49% to reduce costs, 32% to manage uncertainty and 48% to provide short term strategic access to key strategic skills.

In ever-changing, unpredictable and competitive markets, contract/agency workers therefore provide organisations with the flexibility to quickly respond to unforeseen demand, and cater for peaks and troughs.

However, what is in it for the actual contract worker? What do they gain for being the crucial cog in the wheel that enables organisations to save costs, respond to market forces and increase their profitability?

First of all,a 2017 REC studies highlights that 77% of UK employers say that contract workers earn the same or more than their permanent counterparts. 15% of those surveyed in the North, say that contract workers earn more than they would if they were permanent.

Aside the possibility of increasing earnings, contract workers also gain a flexible schedule; they can choose when and how much they work. Working on a contract basis enables workers to demonstrate their adaptability, their capacity to learn quickly and to also showcase their ability to hit the ground running on the job.

Contract work often exposes workers to a high proportion of formal training as they move from job to job and acquire new skills. This enables contractors to gain practical work experience, either in their chosen industry or even within different fields, thus broadening their knowledge and developing their all-round competency. With this exposure and through broadening and diversifying their skills base, contractors can therefore increase their mastery of their profession and actually become more sought after in the market place, than their permanent counter-parts.

Also in the long-run, working on a contract basis can also be a foot in the door to securing permanent opportunities. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) reports that 72% of contract workers are offered permanent positions with the companies they temp for.

It is clear that working on a contract basis can provide clear benefits to employers and candidates within the recruitment marketplace.

If you are contemplating working on a contract basis, or if you’re looking for temporary staff, please contact Westray Recruitment Consultants today.