The most-cited reason for using contingent labor by companies around the world is to complete work during peak seasonal periods, according to a survey released by Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN). Nineteen percent of firms surveyed cited it as the primary reason they use contingent labor.

The next-most cited reason was as cover for employees who may be on leave; it was cited by 7% of firms.

Fifty-four percent of firms said they do not use contingent labor.

In addition, the Manpower survey found that 62% of firms around the world did not view contingent workers as a key element of their workforce strategies. Thirty-four percent of employers said they did, and 4% were unsure.

Manpower CEO Jeffrey Joerres said employers' natural instinct in the upturn will be to bring in contingent workers first and be cautious about hiring permanent workers. "But, the winners in the post-recovery world will be the companies that leverage contingent workers as 'workforce accelerators,' having mastered the art of managing a dynamic mix of permanent and contingent workers to optimize their performance, increasing their speed of execution, building talent capability, keeping fixed costs low and doing more with less," Joerres said.

The survey included more than 41,000 employers in 35 countries.