What’s in Store for the Office/Clerical Segment?

Question: What do you think are the long-term prospects for office/clerical staffing?

Answer: That’s a tough segment. It has the lowest historical growth rate among all temporary staffing segments; compound annualized growth over the last 10 years has been dead zero, and adjusted for inflation it actually declined 1.9 percent annually. We project that by 2014 it will be at 74 percent of its previous (2000) peak. On top of that, it’s the least consistently profitable segment of temporary staffing. Then too, office/clerical is one of the areas that the formidable online staffing model is beginning to enter. All that said, if it’s working for you, you’re at the head of your class and anything that makes money is good. Long term, though, you might think about either investing in an online staffing model or an exit strategy just in case.

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