Temporary employment and strategic staffing in the manufacturing sector
Article Type: Abstracts From: Human Resource Management International Digest, Volume 17, Issue 4
Vidal M. and , Tigges L.M. Industrial Relations (USA), January 2009, Vol. 48 No. 1, Start page: 55, No. of pages: 18
Purpose – studies how US manufacturing employers use temporary staffing looking at whether this is in reaction to unexpected fluctuations in demand, if it is part of planned strategy to buffer regular employees and accommodate expected fluctuations, or if they use then systematically to achieve planned and sustainable numerical flexibility. Design/methodology/approach – analyses data gathered in a telephone survey of US employers that was carried out in 1998 to assess why employers used temporary workers, (the person in charge of recruiting production workers responding from 1,003 manufacturing companies). Findings – finds that the reasons that were cited most frequently were the need to use temporary workers to adjust the size of the workforce and as a way of identifying good candidates for permanent jobs. Overall concludes that employers take a proactive approach to employing temporary workers using them strategically to manage variable demand. Highlights that the use of temporary workers was not positively associated with area unemployment rates, turnover rates or layoffs and consequently rejects the idea that employers use temporary workers reactively. Also rejects the hypothesis that they use them to buffer the core workforce. Research limitations/ implications – describes the research methods and the data analysis. Originality/value – offers an alterative answer to the question of why employers use temporary workers. ISSN:0019-8676 Reference: 38AE015
Keywords: Temporary workers, Employment, Strategic planning,Recruitment, Numerical flexibility, United States of America, Manufacturing
