People
Issue No. 19 - October/November 2004
Public temps a permanent solution
The use of temporary accounting employees within the public sector is changing, according to a nationwide survey by Hays Accountancy Personnel. The survey, completed by public sector clients of Hays who employed temporary accounting staff in the past six months, found that the reason for hiring temporary workers has changed over time, from short-term cover to an integral part of the workforce, for 33% of respondents.
30% said they primarily use temporary workers as a sustained, incorporated resource and a further 9% use them both as a sustained resource and to fill short-term, ad hoc, requirements - typically, peaks in workloads. While the remaining 61% primarily use temporary workers to cover short-term needs, 73% of respondents said they do use temporary staff regularly, suggesting temporary workers are emerging as some form of incorporated supply in the majority of cases.
"While temporary workers are primarily still used to cover short-term needs such as workload peaks or permanent staff shortages, over the last few years they have become an integral and incorporated resource for many public sector organisations," said Tina Alexander, Senior Regional Director of Hays Accountancy Personnel. "It is reassuring for the public sector's temporary workforce that they are increasingly seen as integrated staff rather than short-term, peripheral requirements," she said.
61% of respondents said the greatest value of temporary staff is allowing continuity of wo...
