February 24, 1999 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)
Temporary workers in professional
occupations expected to increase
More than 2.6 million people were employed in
the personnel supply industry in 1996, and the expected growth rate from 1996 to 2006
makes this industry one of the fastest growing in the economy. Employment of temporary
workers is expected to increase 53 percent— nearly 1.4 million jobs— 2006,
following substantial growth from 1981 to 1996.
![Projected growth in personnel supply services occupations, 1996 to 2006](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20120921183936im_/http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/images/1999/Feb/wk4/art03.gif)
[Chart data—TXT]
The most common category of temporary workers is administrative and
clerical support occupations. However, professionals, including engineering, managerial,
and computer workers, now make up over 11 percent of the personnel supply services
industry and growth in demand for these skilled occupations is expected to outpace the
growth in demand for temporary clerical positions.
Managerial, professional, and technical personnel may seek temporary work for a variety
of reasons, including a desire to supplement their income, reduce the hours they work each
week, or find new jobs. Some wish to maintain their incomes or skills between permanent
jobs. Others are new to a field or geographic area and take temporary jobs to become
better acquainted with that field or area.
These data on projected employment growth by industry are a product of the BLS
Employment Projections program. More
information can be obtained in "The Changing Temporary Workforce"
(PDF 719K), Occupational
Outlook Quarterly, Spring 1999.
Of interest
Spotlight on Statistics: National Hispanic Heritage Month
In this Spotlight, we take a look at the Hispanic labor force—including labor force participation, employment and unemployment, educational attainment, geographic location, country of birth, earnings, consumer expenditures, time use, workplace injuries, and employment projections.
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Read more »