CWS 3.0: December 7, 2011 - Vol. 3.35

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News: Adding Temps, Saving $

End users of contingent labor continue to rely on temporary workers. Indeed , the number of temporary workers rose by 22,300 in November in the United States for a total of 2.3 million. This data was released last week by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

This increase follows a pattern of growth — the number went up by 15,800 in October and 24,700 in September.

And compared with November 2010, the number of temporary workers has increased by 169,000. Further, since the end of the recession in June 2009, the number of temporary workers has grown by 583,700.

That growth is outpacing the overall growth of the U.S. nonfarm workforce. The percent of the total nonfarm workforce made up by temporary workers — the temporary penetration rate — has expanded to 1.77 percent in November from 1.34 percent in June 2009.

In total, the U.S. added 120,000 jobs in November and the unemployment rate fell to 8.6 percent from 9.0 percent in October.

The recession has had a silver lining. It has revealed to companies the value of a temporary workforce. But it’s not just about the flexibility that these workers provide. The use of temporary workers allows firms to save money. In a survey of Staffing Buyers by Staffing Industry Analysts, buyers reported that the median savings realized by using contingent labor was 13 percent.

And given that many corporations have large contingent workforce programs involving millions of dollars in spend, savings could involve big money.