Cherry Hill Courier Post (03/18/12)

A boomlet in hiring for temporary jobs is under way, as employers try out workers before they offer a permanent position. “Companies are using [temporary employees] as an interim solution because they want to make certain there’s enough work to justify the position—and that the employee is the perfect fit for the job,” says Wendy Brooks, founder of Brooks Personnel in Voorhees, NJ, where demand for medical office workers has doubled since December. Brooks says as many as 90% of the positions she is filling could turn into permanent jobs. Nationally, the conversion rate is about 50%, according to the American Staffing Association.

At Cherry Hill, NJ-based Accu Staffing Services, demand is strong for both short-term projects and open-ended assignments. “Companies are using us for project-based work that might last eight or nine weeks,” says Elaine Damm, vice president. “We are anticipating continued growth for the rest of the year,” says Damm. “We are feeling good about our ability to help people who are happy to have a job and are hoping to grow.”

J&J Staffing in Cherry Hill recently placed temporary-to-hire workers in clerical, sales, customer service, and tech positions. Ginny Schramm, the regional manager, is confident the matches will stick.

“Training is expensive,” she says. “So if a person works out, the company is likely to stay with that person.”