The growth of the Scandinavian staffing industry in the last decade is attributed to various factors, such as new employment agencies (either from Norway or abroad) opening and specialising in the recruitment of foreign workers in the region. Agency work is now taking place in industries where it was previously uncommon, according to a study by the Institute for Labour and Social Research (FAFO). 

The study monitored the development of the staffing industry in the last ten years and found that the expansion of the EU in 2004, which has seen various Central and Eastern European countries entering the EU as member states, plays a key factor in the growth of the staffing industry. This, the researchers say, has opened up the market and allowed for many migrant workers from these new EU states to gain access to the job market in Scandinavia, particularly in Sweden. 

The study says that agency workers are mainly used to cover for periods when extra labour is in high demand such as covering for employees’ absences due to holiday and sick leave. 

The construction industry makes particular use of migrant workers, however, the study also points out that due to current regulations, agency workers often go without a salary when changing between jobs. 

The study claims that recruitment levels in the staffing industry have more than doubled from 2004 to 2008, but experienced a sharp decline due to the financial crisis in 2008. Since then, however, the study says that the industry has recovered and is due to grow again.